Language in motion
In reading Jane Austen books from my To Be Read pile, it struck me that not only words commonly used have changed―such as her use of twelvemonth instead of year―but…
In reading Jane Austen books from my To Be Read pile, it struck me that not only words commonly used have changed―such as her use of twelvemonth instead of year―but…
Books have gotten expensive both to buy and to make―along with paper, food, and everything else as inflation (which is a hidden tax imposed by greedy governments and businesses) rises…
Writing is an act of love, telling the story of characters in one's imagination. Editing that story can be fun (following the plot from beginning to end), exasperating (when you…
Nobody is perfect. And self-publishers without editing staff are especially prone to typos and other mistakes in the final product. But even well-known authors with publishing houses and armies of…
Isaac Asimov wrote intriguing stories, but perhaps what will last even beyond those tales is his notion of The Laws of Robotics. His original three laws are quoted here, from…
Many believe that love heals all. But what sort of love? Whose love? Romance is a blush of blossoms with instant power that must mature or perish. What may be…
Readers have favourite characters, as the many Outlander fan groups prove. But authors do, as well: that one man or woman who colours a writer's inner world enough to urge…
Find your "voice," aspiring authors are advised, voice being that manner of speech that translates on the page as yours alone. (Well, more or less. After all, there are millions…
Most of the books we read are mass produced by large companies like Harlequin, Dell, Penguin, and so on. Some may have been published by smaller companies like Medallion Press…
"Where are my socks?" Those were the first words of the original version of Citizen Marg, written in 2012 and unpublished. The story sat for years in my "done" box,…