(Coming to you from the Philadelphia Writer’s Conference…) Maybe it’s because I’m American, but I tend to associate coffee with books and literature. I know that it’s traditional to discuss literature along with politics or other current events at tea time, but Americans are more drinkers of coffee than tea. I enjoy both, and in… Continue reading The Almighty Bean
Author: BlueInkAlchemist
The Home Stretch
Maybe it’s just me, as I amble towards the end of my current project, doing my utmost to follow my own tenth rule of writing fiction. There’s something that I’ve noticed over the past week. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting into ‘conference’ mode, or maybe this is a side effect of continuing to get… Continue reading The Home Stretch
Agents
No, silly, not those agents. It’s been been over a year since I discussed The Fine Art of Selling Yourself. Other than being almost done with a novel that, while imperfect, might actually have a shot of getting some ink, very little has changed for me. I still think pitches should be simple, agents should… Continue reading Agents
Intellectual Indigestion
This was going to be the first of a few posts inspired by The Oatmeal,, but I have quite a bit of work to do if I want to get something tangible squared away by Thursday. “First you do the work that feeds your belly,” someone very wise told me recently, “then you do the… Continue reading Intellectual Indigestion
DPS Delivery Man
So following yesterday’s WoW discussion and my request for advice, Rick Carroll said the following: DPS is easy to find. DPS is everywhere. Good, smart dps is not. Any doofus with a computer and a connection can spam buttons at an enemy – smart dps knows what they are doing, how it works, and when… Continue reading DPS Delivery Man
Starting Over Is Hard To Do
So my wife and I have returned to Azeroth. Kinda. Starting brand new characters on a brand new server is a great idea on paper. But there are a few issues with it that are making things, for my part, somewhat confused. Since this is a blog just as much about gaming as it is… Continue reading Starting Over Is Hard To Do
Canned Goods: Vampire Novel Contest Thingie
Okay, in all honesty, I have no idea when the novel contest was or why I felt inclined to enter it. Or if I even did enter it. The ol’ cracker barrel ain’t what it used to be, as Uncle Karl might say. Regardless, I saw this as I was re-opening my files for the… Continue reading Canned Goods: Vampire Novel Contest Thingie
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Dark City
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/darkcity.mp3] In the course of writing this review, things have gone on a lot longer than I thought they would. So I’m not going to waste any more of your time than necessary today, folks. It’s way too nice outside in eastern Pennsylvania, anyway. So, without further adieu, here follows my review of Dark City,… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Dark City
Tear Down That Wall
Athletes often talk of ‘hitting the wall’. Without the right training or glucose intake, an endurance runner will come to a point where they’re all but overwhelmed with fatigue. These folks love to run and train hard for a marathon, but in the midst of their enjoyment comes a point that drains them of energy… Continue reading Tear Down That Wall
Why Contrivance Sucks
Let’s face it. Fiction is a planned endeavor. The best works are ones that are plotted out from first act to last, from beginning to end. They have structure, flow and purpose. Some even have a message to deliver along with a story to tell. But when that message is tied to an anvil dropped… Continue reading Why Contrivance Sucks
