Jan 23 – Night of the (Los) Iguana
Of all the days I was going to be in London, this was the only one Lin was actually working. In a practical sense, what this meant was that she was up and out of the house early, leaving me to fend for myself. So since I was on vacation, I lounged around for a bit, made myself some breakfast, and called Rasa and Monki. All of which took me to about 9:30am. When I relax I really relax, huh? Continue reading “Night of the Iguana – Day 2 London 2020”
So I posted this on Facebook, but it seems like it needs a more permanent home. Therefore, posting it here.
And while it’s true this is piece is focused on Gaiman, there are a number of really good links which are just as important to the truth of reading and storytelling that I wanted to keep it nearby. “Truth is not in what happens but in what it tells us about who we are.”
Source: Neil Gaiman on Why We Read and What Books Do for the Human Experience – Brain Pickings
Happy Holidays!!!
“No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.”
ARTS: Neil Gaiman on getting hooked on handwriting – Tulsa World: ARTS.
Over the past few months I’ve gotten two beautiful fountain pens: One for Christmas and one as a “Thank You” for a favor done. I bought myself a nice case for the two of them and they live in my bag, for use when I need to sign things.
I also have a preponderance of journals and notebooks. I wonder if I should try this? It’d be an interesting experiment for sure. That said, my handwriting generally sucks. And when I had to take the GRE test the hardest thing to do was copy something out by hand.
But still… getting back to the old ways, at least for some things, might not be a bad way to go.
Ten rules for writing fiction | Books | theguardian.com.
Mostly I’m putting this here for me. There are some great bits of information here, things which any writer could and should hear from time to time. Some of this is motivational, some is good solid advice and some is funny (but funny because it’s true).
And while I was going to close with a Neil Gaiman quote, that’s a bit cliche at this point so instead, I’ll sum up with probably the best advice one could ever get, this one coming from Richard Ford:
“Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a good idea.”
Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The idea of the gods interacting directly with mortals is not a new one for modern fiction. Neil Gaiman tackled it in American Gods and now A. Lee Martinez does it in Divine Misfortune
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I first read this book back in ’06 and remembered liking it a great deal. Listening to this full cast recording of the author’s preferred text, I didn’t particularly notice much difference (that being said, I didn’t really remember the Hinzelman scene or the coming to America passages from before so who knows).
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
That was a good book. Not a great one, but very very good. It’s a classic Gaiman story; young people, shadowlands, ancient beings, “beating of giant wings”… all the good stuff. I listened to it, read by the author, which at times can be a tricky proposition but Gaiman is a performer and he does a great job with his own words (This is not always the case, mind you) and at just under 6 hours listening time, this isn’t a long piece of fiction. So why isn’t it great? For me, length is actually one of the factors. Continue reading “Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane”
Once upon a time, there was a film that encapsulated the idea of the modern fairy tale in a perfect 130 minute package. That film went by the title of Stardust and it has everything a fantasy film could want… there’s an evil witch, a scheming prince (or four), a fallen star, a quest for love, and hidden lineage which leads to great things – and Robert De Niro as a blood-thirsty air-pirate named Shakespeare!
To be fair, I’m not going to tell you anything about the plot. It’s not that the plot is so mysterious or anything, in fact, it’s almost wonderfully predictable, but this movie is so much fun I want you to have a good time just letting it unfold before your eyes. So then, what shall we talk about to fill up this review? Continue reading “Review: Stardust”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 