Category Archives: On Writing

The Rules for Alternative Realities

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to mistakes I might have made in the past.  Let’s not say mistakes; let’s rather say that if I had to make certain choices over again that I made long decades … Continue reading

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Faux Book Review: Reviews and Reflections on Books, Literature, and Writing by John Walters

Why is this a faux, or fake, book review?  Because it’s a review of my own book.  My plan earlier in the week had been to use this week’s blog post to merely announce the publication of this book, and … Continue reading

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On the Breaking of Rules in Writing

As I was finalizing my thirteenth book, a compilation of book reviews and essays called “Reviews and Reflections on Books, Literature, and Writing”, I found myself with a curious dilemma. Look carefully at the preceding sentence. Note that the title … Continue reading

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Book Review: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

It was through the best-selling self-published writer Hugh Howey that I learned about this book. He posted a review of it on his site that got me sufficiently interested to seek it out. Howey, from his frequent online essays and … Continue reading

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The Word Fountain

I just had to start writing again. It was driving me crazy. I write all day long, but it’s not the same thing. The writing I do for money consists of Internet articles that are bullshit, masticating and spitting out … Continue reading

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Afterword to the Short Story “Portals”

I have begun to write and assemble story afterwords (ubiquitous additions to my volumes of short stories) for my next short story collection. These notes are on “Portals”, a story that has already been published electronically and is available at … Continue reading

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My Favorite Books on Writing

I don’t think you can learn writing from a book.  If it can be taught, it is more through osmosis, through absorbing everything around you, including books, personal experience, and insight from other writers.  I hesitate to add writing classes, … Continue reading

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How I Began Self-Publishing; Part Three: The Short Stories

One of the great joys of electronic publishing is that you are not bound by length.  You can make the story as long or as short as it demands to be.  You can write novels of forty or fifty thousand … Continue reading

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How I Began Self-Publishing; Part Two: My First Book

Once I made the decision to self-publish some of my material, I was still cautious about diving in all the way.  I decided to start by compiling a collection of some of my stories that had already appeared in magazines … Continue reading

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How I Began Self-Publishing; Prelude: Greek Summers

Before I explain how I got started in self-publishing I need to explain about my summers in Greece.  However, I have a confession to make.  I will likely go into more detail than I need to because thinking about sunshine … Continue reading

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