“That’s STUPID!” he says, leaning over my shoulder while stuffing another handful of Cheetos in his mouth. “In fact,” he continues, brushing the crumbs out of the week-old stubble on his puffy cheeks, “there are about a thousand reasons that I and a million other bloggers will take this drivel […]
What to do with Bad Reviews?
Your baby has been delivered, the bookstores have it on their shelves (real or virtual), and the moment of truth arrives: after sweating and banging your head against keyboards, publishers, editors and agents, you’ve gotten A REVIEW! Perhaps it’s a little bracketed number on Amazon or Goodreads, perhaps it’s been […]
Fortnight of Freedom: When is it Dangerous to be Right?
“It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.” –Voltaire The assault on the Church by our government is nothing new. Here on the enlightened West Coast, the forerunners of today’s Cathlo-phobic thinkers tried to outlaw Catholic schools using the government-designed ballot-measure system back in the 1920s. But, […]
Beyond Barbecues: Happy Memorial Day Weekend!- Thoughts of War & Conflict in Catholic Fiction
“The time has come to be wild. We’ve all been a lot too tame.” G.K. Chesterton in Tales of the Long Bow Typically, columns written by people with my beliefs and sensibilities bemoan that Memorial Day is popularly seen as an opportunity for barbecues, travel and sleeping in rather […]
Oops, I Did It Again…Getting Facts Right in Your Fiction
I’m often a terrible person to watch a movie with, especially one that references historical events. Be it 300 or Raiders of the Lost Ark, I’m the kind of guy that has to clamp down when I see folks get historical facts wrong. But I got to eat my own […]
Heroes, Part II- You Oughta Be Committed!
James was a classmate of my oldest son. A wiry, expressive young man, he had no difficulty letting those around him know his thoughts and dreams. And near the end of the Seventh grade field day, James showed the kind of stuff he was made of. When James’ team looked […]
“Did That Happen?” Using Stranger-Than-Fiction Events in Your Fiction
“Truth, of course, must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for we have made fiction to suit ourselves.” ― G.K. Chesterton, Heretics Sometimes, we want to put an event in our realistic fiction that seems anything but realistic. Most of know, though, that real-life events would be called ‘unrealistic’ in […]
Heroes, Part I- When Is A Flawed Diamond More Valuable?
“It is because he is never less than perfect that Milton’s God is so dull.” Isaac Asimov said this while writing about writing scientists as villains. I read it in the early 80s when I was twelve, long before I ever knew who Milton was or what Paradise Lost was […]
Opposites Attract…Readers!
“It is not merely true that a creed unites men. Nay, a difference of creed unites men – so long as it is a clear difference. A boundary unites. Many a magnanimous Moslem and chivalrous Crusader must have been nearer to each other, because they were both dogmatists, than any […]
"Gee, Davey….."
Morality in Catholic Fiction: How To? By John McNichol Back when I was little and Christian-themed shows still appeared on network television, one of my favorite programs was a little piece called Davey and Goliath. Brought to us by the Lutheran Church and the folks who made Gumby, the show […]