Published in The Book Mechanic·PinnedWill Physical Books Make A Comeback?Sales are on the decline, but there is hope for the future of books — The lineup formed at the entrance of the bookstore around 10 pm. By the time the doors opened the next morning, the line stretched around the block. The store was Trident Booksellers in Boston, and it was summer 2007. People around the world clamored for Harry Potter and the Deathly…Books5 min read
Jul 27Member-onlyRestart the clock at 1950?Our current system for dating timelines is broken, so here’s a new one. Dr. Michael Brown and his team of student archeologists were on a dig in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan, close to the Iranian border, when they stumbled upon some spectacular ancient ruins. It was a fortress, buried only a…Science6 min read
May 26Member-onlyThe Vanquishing of the Once-Mighty Word ProcessorYe olde word processor of ancient lore. The venerable Word. The wily Docs. The inscrutable Pages. All these brave warriors of the written word now long vanquished by sleeker, smarter and better contenders. I, too, am guilty of forsaking my beloved Pages for the brute strength of Scrivener and the…Writing4 min read
May 17Member-onlyA productive rant about journalismThere exists an enormous disparity between the public image of journalism and the real world of journalism. 2021 was my second shot at journalism school, albeit 20 years after my first attempt. When I first went to college, back at the beginning of this millennium when Y2K was the world’s…Journalism11 min read
Published in Feedium·May 16Member-onlyFacts About Being A Writer That Will Keep You Up At NightYou could have chosen to be anything you want. You could have gone to law school or studied computer engineering or learned to weld. But no. You HAD to become a writer. You really should blame your school for your chosen vocation. …Writing4 min read
May 13Member-onlyThe Ultimate Word Count Guide“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” said Pulitzer prize, and Nobel prize, winning author Saul Bellow. This is an understatement from one of the 20th Century’s great writers. …Writing8 min read
May 6Member-onlyI hereby declare myself a journalist and a writerIt only took me 40 years, but I’ve finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up “Mummy?” I once asked my mother when I was a little kid. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She chuckled. …Writer2 min read
Published in Feedium·May 4Member-onlyThe 8 Modern Rules of Science FictionIt was 1895 and the Industrial Revolution was at its height. H. G. Wells published The Time Machine, about an engineer who built a time traveling contraption using the technology of the day (there were a lot of gears involved). …Writing5 min read
May 3Member-onlyMy goal is to get traditionally publishedI’ve set myself a pretty ambitious goal for the next year. I’m going to finish an 80,000 word novel, get represented by an agent, and get published. …Writing3 min read
Published in Feedium·May 3Member-onlySubstack gets one step closer to being a full-on Medium rivalOne of the most significant events for online writers happened last month when Substack released their own app. With that, Substack went from being a newsletter service to becoming a reading and writing ecosystem. Substack announced the release of their app for iOS back in early March, with an Android…Substack4 min read
