Classic walk-up songs for the October Classic Reading time: 2 minutes — Quick history for those who are unaware of so-called walk-up songs. Although TV ratings won’t support this statement, baseball is America’s pastime. Part of the game today includes walk-up songs for batters and pitchers. Used to be the organist would play some music […]
Jack Reacher returns to thrill again Reading time: 2 ½ minutes – Seems every Jack Reacher novel I read is better than the last. I don’t know if I’m getting lucky with the order I’m taking or if I’m just liking him more the more I get to know him. Statistically speaking, it must be […]
The Boss releases his autobiography; I release my favorites Reading time: 2 1/2 minutes — With the release of Born To Run, Springsteen’s memoir, it’s fitting that we come out with my top 9 songs from the Boss. I haven’t read the autobiography yet, but I adore the fact that he spent seven years […]
Excellent recipe: Mix one part novella with seven parts short story. Delicious outcome Reading time: 2 ½ minutes – It’s telling in all the wrong ways for me as a writer that the cover of Pelecanos’ book says it’s written by the “award-winning writer/producer of THE WIRE.” Pelecanos, to be sure, has awards on his […]
It’s not Kafka’s Metamorphosis, but a dog is an interesting narrator Reading time: 2 ½ minutes – There are three captivating stories here, the finale of which is still being written. Let’s them in order. Story 1. My favorite of the three is a lesson in the art of perseverence. Stein wrote Racing and sent […]
Shortest Books I’d Ever Write Reading time: 1 minute — I just finished writing an 84,000-word manuscript. It took me approximately 150,000 words to arrive at the final count. So now, let’s the opposite. A blog comment a week ago got me thinking about the shortest book I’d ever write. So here is my list […]
Writing Advice from the Masters Reading time: 1 1/2 minutes — My computer was on the Disabled List last week, so I missed Tuesday’s Top 9. I enjoyed missing it so much, I might make it a habit. But on to this week! These quotes come from writers about the craft, and for one reason or another, […]
Even after 600 pages, you might want more – and you can get it! Reading time: 2 ½ minutes – If a book’s value can be measured by how much you think about it in the days after finishing, Night Film measures up as a valuable book. That’s not a universal opinion I’ve learned in […]
Greatest Opening Lines from Novels Reading time: 3 1/2 minutes — First of all, only getting to select nine is ridiculous. There are so many great opening lines in literature. So, a rule for my list: the selection must be from a book I’ve read. Hence, “Call me Ishmael” doesn’t make my list. For me, […]
My Favorite Mondegreens Reading time – 2 minutes Everybody know what mondegreens are? Good, let’s proceed. Also, this would be a great character trait for one of the folks in your next story. Leads to wonderful dialogue, both in real life and fiction. As if anyone around here cares about real life! To make this […]
JD Frain 