A number of years ago there was an, unfortunately, short-lived scifi magazine titled “Aboriginal Science Fiction.” It published short stories, movie reviews and book reviews. The one thing I will always remember was the way one of its book reviewers began one of his columns. He was responding to the question, “Why don’t you ever…
So your manuscript has been through a number of drafts, been read by a few people in your writers club and fairly heavily critiqued. You’re sure it’s ready. What now? Well, you actually have a number of choices. Send to a copy to a publishing house that’s accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It’s important to check their…
A friend of mine once posed the question: “Do you think writers start out intending to write a great book?” Now, obviously, he meant “great” as in critically acclaimed, and having the potential to still be read long after the author has gone to that great remainder pile in the sky. I thought about it…
So you’ve thumbed through (or scrolled through) your manuscript and you still think it’s great – fine. But what draft is it? If it’s your first, second, or even third draft, try to get as much feedback as possible. This is where a site like Book Country is really important. BookCounty.com got started back in…
[Note: I just want to disclose I’ve had my book published by Bookkus, it can also be found on Goodreads, and I’m a member of Book Country. I’m much less familiar with Wattpad (I do have a short story posted there) and Smashwords.] You’ve finished writing your novel – congratulations! But now what do you…
A few years ago I was taking part in a discussion thread on Book Country, concerning things authors do that you hate, when one of the other members mentioned that she had read a book where the author kept referring to pubic hair as crispy. As you might expect, this resulted in numerous comments regarding…
Some friends have asked me, “What’s it like to write a book?” I find that to be an odd question, because like any human achievement it really comes down to a lot of hard work, plus a certain amount of ability, concentrated towards a goal. For instance, I know a Master Mechanic, who I swear…
Hello All, Just thought I’d add a page were I could do everything from playing around to being deadly serious. I think I’ll start with awards since it’s the awards season. I know we’re all awaiting the announcement of Best Picture from the Academy of Motion Picture Popcorn, Soft Drink and Hotdog Vendors, to mention…
As we get set to bit this winter a less than fond farewell, I thought I’d post a couple of winter pictures just to show people what they miss. The first picture is taken near the peak of Algonquin a couple of years ago. It was late October, 2011, cold, but the snow hadn’t started falling…
Here’s some new pictures that I thought you might enjoy. This first picture is taken in October of 2013 from Ampersand Mountain looking north. I had been in the area the previous weekend, and the foliage was at peak so decided that I’d come back out late Wednesday, climb Ampersand and catch the view in…