Writing can be a lonely, solo adventure.
Publishing, on the other hand, is rarely done well in isolation.
Today’s video is a metaphor for how publishing works.
HT: Dan Balow
Happy Birthday Winnie-the-Pooh!
On this day in 1926 the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne was published by Methuen in London. Our household has celebrated this day each year with my wife baking Winnie-the-Pooh shaped cookies. (Yes, it is a scary thing to be a man in a house of Winnie-the-Pooh celebrations.) Some say the real birthday is the day Christopher Robin Milne was given his stuffed bear (August 21, 1921). But since …
Fun Friday – October 11, 2024
Someone took a video of me trying to get into a hammock. I only wanted to take a nap! In the end, I took my frustration out on an unsuspecting writer. Poor fellow, he just wanted to ask a question; and I snapped. All caught on video.
In Memory of John Wooden
Fourteen years ago, the great Hall-of-Fame basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of ninety-nine. As you can see from the photo above, I had the privilege of attending one of his basketball camps during the Summer of 1974–fifty years ago. It was a John Wooden and Bill Sharman (coaches of UCLA and the LA Lakers, respectively) camp in Honolulu. We lived and breathed basketball …
Fun Fridays – October 4, 2024
Terrible Christian Puns None of these puns are original. I take no credit or blame. (I only laughed.) All were found floating around the Internet. ___________ Where is a square dance class mentioned in the Bible? Jonah 4:11: “There are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left.” Who was the smartest man in the Bible? Abraham. He …
Fun Fridays – September 27, 2024
Yet another fascinating bit of world trivia. Today’s video is a four-minute piece about an office inside an elevator. Watch and be amazed. I want one.
When You Don’t Feel Like Writing
“I don’t feel like writing today.” Ever said that to yourself? I’m saying it today. But if I followed through on the impulse, this page would be blank. Why You Won’t Write Today (1) Physical Illness can strike without warning. And some people suffer from chronic conditions. I have clients who pray for a “good” day so they can put a few words on the page. …
Fun Fridays – September 20, 2024
Today’s video has been around for a while, but it is delightful to watch the creativity of a math professor. HT: Dan Balow
Fun Fridays – September 13, 2024
Dare I mention it is Friday the 13th? You didn’t hear it from me. Today’s video is quite fascinating: Disney animation reusing previous work in a different film. This begs the question, have you ever reused material in your writing? I wrote about the issue twelve years ago in the post “Can You Plagiarize Yourself?” The answer is, “Yes, you can, but should you? If you …
What Did You Read This Summer?
In 1957 H. L. Mencken coined a new word to describe a group of people that he called the bibliobibuli, which means “people who read too much.” (From the Greek “biblio,” meaning books, and the Latin “bibulous,” from “bibere,” to drink.) But how much is too much? And who decides that? I happen to believe that there is always room for more. I was once …