Tag Archives: Literature

Real Geniuses: What are they Like?

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

Science fiction writers often write about geniuses and other very bright people.  If you’re satisfied with all the stereotypes about them, read no more. But if you’d like to know what they are REALLY like, go to this newly posted … Continue reading →

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Writing accurate female characters

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

What specifically do we need to do to write accurate female characters?  Here are some suggestions. Notice that I qualify most statements.  And you must intuit the existence of qualifications if I don’t make them explicit.  Generalities usually have lots … Continue reading →

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Fantasy increases its lead over Science Fiction

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

The trade magazine of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror, Locus, has tracked many of the details of the field since 1981.  Among these are the number of new titles published each year. Since the mid-1980s the number of SF and fantasy … Continue reading →

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New Yorker fiction is for the Over-The-Hills

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

I’ve been sampling the famed New Yorker magazine for maybe a year now.  I’ve been impressed by their monthly short story.  Negatively impressed. They all seem to target continued here.

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Writers are Dodecahedrons

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

Often bios of writers mention all the many different kinds of jobs they’ve had: waiter, attorney, teacher, Peace Corps volunteer. So often the long list has become a cliché. There is a reason why it’s so often true, and it’s … Continue reading →

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Creative vs. Critical Reading

Posted on May 9, 2011 by

There are two ways to experience a work of art. One is the creative, the other the critical. Creative reading is immersive. It “willfully suspends disbelief” to place the reader into a textual virtual reality. Critical reading is intellectual. It … Continue reading →

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