Baby steps

The idea of writing a novel seems way too big when you think about it as a whole. But take baby steps, and you'll get there, one tiny shuffle forward at a time. Try not to think of it as a huge project. If you keep thinking you better watch that sword that's hanging over …

Intentional annoyance?

I'm on to my next audiobook, and this time it's Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami, who I've heard many good things about but have never read. The opening of this book takes place in an elevator. An extended elevator ride that is described repeatedly, in an overly-long and quite annoying way …

Every writer

"Every writer I know has trouble writing." - Joseph Heller I love seeing quotes like these. Writers tend to be a solitary species, in my experience, so I think can sometimes talk themselves into believing they are terrible, just because they are having a hard time. Well, every writer has a hard time, even the best …

The Warrior’s Apprentice

I finished this today on audible, and though it had some fun, clever action and witty, likable characters, I never really got into it enough to care about what was happening. As mentioned in previous posts, I was at a loss for the main character's motivation. He sometimes seems to  want to impress his father …

Be the best you can be

I recently started reading The Crimson Petal and the White,  by Michel Faber, in my attempt to read instead of browse the internet and social media on my devices. I can't remember the last time I've been so impressed by prose, if ever. The story follows a young prostitute in 1870's London--a subject I have …