There are thousands of songs out there, but here are a few of my faves. Feel free to chip in in the comments with your own. Hamlet – The Band – Ophelia [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RjqcTsxx-8] Animal Farm – Pink Floyd Animals The Grapes of Wrath – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKKpmbcSe5E] The Story …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] I’m in the process of wrapping up the second of two short stories that I’ve written in between drafts of Shadow of the Black City. With each short story I write, my awareness of things grows and my writing improves. Things blurred in the murk of my peripheral awareness are coming …
Writing Short Fiction with an Eye on Long Fiction Read More »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Terabytes of bandwidth have been devoted to exploring literary versus genre fiction (See here, here, and here for examples). After reading many of these kinds of blog posts and articles, I am left with one question: Who cares? I love to read, but not just for the sake of reading. I …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdNaA4YcXTA] [tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] This clip from School of Rock is sweet in its own right, but it’s also a good reminder that you’ve got to grind it out day after day to be good at what you do. And that’s just good. If you want to be great, well, I’ll be happy to …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBmqfM74sIY] And it’s slow, so slow the idea, The coming around of a sensible word. It hovers and shakes like a hummingbird wing At the end of a long hot year. Kelly Joe Phelps – Tight to the Jar Mr. Phelps very well captures the essence of writing in the bridge from Tight to the Jar. …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] Don’t know if you’ve got snow in your neck of the woods today, but we’re getting plenty of snow blowing in on bitter wind here in southern West Virginia. Here’s a video that captures the vibe, with a little steam and driving sixties groove thrown in for good measure. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl4pJwcE7JI] This …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] Book reviews are hit or miss. They depend on the mood of the reviewer at the time of the review, the reviewer’s predilection (or lack thereof) of the genre of the book they review, and/or their personal feelings toward the author of the book they review. That said, there are four …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] Every time I listen to the pile of music stuffed onto my hard drive, I am constantly reminded of the difficulty of good storytelling. In music, as in writing, it’s not only the story, but how the story is told. Below I’ve posted a few videos of those artists I hold …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] And you tell me I’m the one you’re not to blame And you tell me I make you feel the same way And we talk in circles but we never say It’s just out of weakness that both of us stay And it ought to be easier When you turn your …
It Ought to be Easier (To Leave When You Know that You Have to Go) Read More »
Knowing what I know now, I’ll be happy to blow out a disjointed, gangly mongrel of a first draft in the future if only to clear my mental sinuses. I mean, if that’s what it takes to get a tighter second draft that I might actually enjoy reading, then sign me up. Lemme ‘splain: The …