Category Archives: On Writing

Life Is Entertaining

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

This essay came about because of a terrible commercial I’ve been seeing lately on various TV and internet sites.  In it, a certain A-list Hollywood actor walks around a city, and as he does, scenes such as those that appear … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living – Edited by Manjula Martin

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

Let’s get one thing clear from the outset: this book is not about what the title says it’s about, what the back blurb says it’s about, or what I thought it was going to be about.  Finally, I thought: A … Continue reading →

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Meditations on Late-Blooming Literary Success

Posted on March 4, 2017 by

While on the bus on the way to a gathering of local writers, I was somewhat ruefully contemplating the fact that many of my colleagues, although decades younger than me, have reached a level of popular and commercial success that … Continue reading →

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Snapping Out of It

Posted on February 18, 2017 by

We’re going to conduct a literary experiment, you and I.  Well, in fact you’re going to play the role of observer and I’m going to conduct it.  We’re going to see if I can snap myself out of the post-surgery … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers: Third Edition by Christopher Vogler

Posted on February 11, 2017 by

You may have heard of a book called The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.  You may have even heard that George Lucas drew heavily on Campbell’s theories when he was creating the story lines for Star Wars.  … Continue reading →

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An Assessment of 2016

Posted on December 17, 2016 by

The freelancer’s life is not for the faint of heart, especially if you happen to be a single parent at the same time.  Ask J.K. Rowling before Harry Potter took off.  You struggle day by day to bring in enough … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Traveler of Worlds: Conversations With Robert Silverberg by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

Posted on December 3, 2016 by

Robert Silverberg was one of the most important writers of science fiction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, during the so-called new wave, when a number of innovators attempted to eschew the genre’s pulp origins and create more literary … Continue reading →

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Book Review: How to Write Like Tolstoy: A Journey Into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers by Richard Cohen

Posted on October 8, 2016 by

The title of this book, although catchy, is misleading.  Personally, I wouldn’t want to write like Tolstoy anyway.  I am perfectly content to write like John Walters.  Anyway, the author makes no attempt to teach writing or techniques of writing.  … Continue reading →

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Writing as a Metaphysical Experience

Posted on October 2, 2016 by

My new book, Writing as a Metaphysical Experience, is now available as an e-book at multiple outlets, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple iBooks, and others.  It’s also available as a print edition here. It’s part memoir, part journal, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for the Page, Stage, and Screen by Robert McKee

Posted on September 4, 2016 by

When I read books on writing, I don’t expect to agree with everything the author says.  There are as many theories on writing as there are writers, and that’s as it should be.  Still, the opinions and advice of others … Continue reading →

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