There is no sound in today’s video. You simply have to watch carefully.
It is only a minute long.
Afterward, you will doubt your powers of observation.
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Your Writers Conference Appointment
[I’ve posted variations of this article over the years. I hope that by bringing it back to the top of the pile, many of you new readers will see it!] __________ You snagged one of those valuable 15-minute appointments with an agent or an editor at a writers conference. Now what? What do you say? How do you say it? What do I bring with me? And what does that scowling person on the other side …
Fun Fridays – April 5, 2024
Someone captured a video of me teaching a group of writers about contract law. We discussed topics like indemnification, moral turpitude, the statutory right of termination, and more. Unfortunately, the only thing the writers actually heard is what you hear in the video. The navy blue outfit I wore that day seemed appropriate at the time. Sorry. Enjoy! [If you cannot see the video in your email, …
April Tool’s Day
I decided not to try and trick you on April Fool’s Day with something like “Steve Laube buys yet another shiny industry business. This time he bought the entire out-of-print catalogs from Nomas Telson, Zyndale, and Tondervan. Included in the purchase was the New International Christian Standard Living Message Bible (NICSLMB).” Instead, I thought about which reference book I use …
What Do You Do When Your Technology Fails?
Today, I tell the story of an author’s tragedy. We had a client who lost their entire manuscript the day of their deadline. Poof. It was gone. Their thumb drive malfunctioned too; it was empty. Because they had borrowed a laptop, the author didn’t know it was programmed to empty the trash each time it was rebooted. The author had moved the manuscript to the trash after emailing it to …
Fun Fridays – March 22, 2024
I love to find creative expressions by creative people. Today’s video is a duet playing “Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor” by Bach … on glass. Yes, the video is over 10 minutes long; but at least enjoy the first two minutes, which is the most familiar part of the music. Imagine if this were played instead of the organ in Phantom of the Opera. It would be a completely different …
When You Are on the Bench
The NCAA Basketball Tournament is upon us, with lots of drama accompanying March Madness. As you watch a game, of any team sport, the focus is on the players in the contest. The camera follows the stars and their every move. What you rarely do is watch the bench or the players on the sidelines. I find this to be a fascinating metaphor for the writing and publishing “game.” There are …
Fun Fridays – March 15, 2024
So much beauty everywhere. Even in places too small to see. Enjoy today’s video and contemplate the depth and breadth of our world.
Saving Time
Yesterday, most North Americans set their clocks forward an hour as part of Daylight Saving Time (DST). We, in Arizona, are one of two states that never change our clocks. Thus, half the year, we are on Mountain Time, and the other half, we are on Pacific Time. Those of you who lost an hour yesterday either went to church an hour early or showed up bleary-eyed for losing that extra hour of sleep. …
