Today the U.S. celebrates Labor Day as a national holiday.
It’s a perfect day to make and eat popcorn, a favorite snack!
Enjoy this insightful video with the Muppets Swedish chef attempting to make enough for everyone.
Humor
Mysteries of the English Language
I love the English language. It’s been very good to me. But it can be a booger too. For example, you know that a slim chance and a fat chance are the same, right? And a wise man and a wise guy don’t mean the same thing? It’s a crazy language. And those who must learn it as a second language face many strange twists and turns—as do those of us who try to speak and write with something resembling …
A Writer’s Entrance Exam
Say you wanted to enroll in studies at a respected educational institution—let’s call it Wisenheimer Academy for Clever Kids. You might expect to take an entrance exam to determine your degree of fitness for WACK, right? Just as you would to begin training for ministry, law enforcement, or interplanetary space travel. Oddly, though, there is no entrance exam for writers. Until now. That’s right. …
Happy Valentine’s Day
Today is a fun day to celebrate that special someone in your life. My wife and I have been married for over 40 years now, and the video below is a tribute to her. No, she knows I do not and cannot dance; but videos like this make me feel like I can. Happy Valentine’s Day! Go-make someone-you-love-smile day.
21 Latin Phrases Every Writer Should Know
21 Latin Phrases Every Writer Should Know Persona Non Grata “An unwelcome person” (lately defined, by some, as a literary agent). Habeas Corpus “You have the body” (the legal right to appear before a judge). Cogito Ergo Sum “I think, therefore I am.” For a writer it would be “Scribo ergo sum.” Deus Ex Machina “God from the Machine.” In a novel it basically means the author has written something …
Singing the Slushpile Blues
by Steve Laube
The unsolicited pile of proposals in my office (aka "the slushpile) taunts me every day.
"Come over here!" it says, tantalizing me with immanent possibilities. I say to myself, "Maybe it will be the next one I look at. That will be 'The One.'"
I've been told that many of you enjoy hearing some of the offbeat letters or intriguing proposals I see. Here is a sampling from …
O I C, U C?
I’ve been a fan of James Taylor (he of “Fire and Rain” and “Carolina on My Mind” fame) since I first heard “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” on the radio at a particularly lonely time in my life. That’s a story for another time; we won’t get into it right now. But from that day I bought or stole every album he ever released. On his 1979 release, Flag, he included a song titled “B.S.U.R. …
The Writing Life Compared
As Soon as Your Book Is Published (Unpublished Author Edition) Your hair will become fuller, lusher, and shinier. You will only write a thousand words a day to make a million dollars a year. You’ll be a bestselling author, and every book will float to the top of the charts. You will be the most popular author at writers conferences. Aspiring authors will fawn over you, keen for your wisdom. You …
Words I Can Spell but Mispronounce
A couple years ago I was enjoying a small family reunion with my two older brothers. We were playing a card game, and for some reason I used the word chimera in the conversation. Unfortunately, I failed to take into consideration three things: I had (to my recollection) never heard the word spoken but had only read it. My brothers are both smarter than me. My brothers would never hesitate to …
10 Haughty Author Commandments That Agents Must Obey
Composed with tongue firmly in cheek. Send to yours and maketh your agent weepeth. 10 Haughty Author Commandments That Agents Must Obey I. Thou shalt have no other authors before me. II. Thou shalt adore all my ideas and declare them holy. III. Thou shalt personally guarantee my financial success. IV. Thou shalt send me to Bora Bora on my birthday and send a wad o’ cash at Christmas. V. Thou …