Sarah A. Hoyt's Blog, page 60

Kicks To The Teeth

Years ago, when I already had far more experience of traditional publishing than was good for my mental health, I came across someone talking about how you become an “old pro”.

I no longer remember who it was, but I have a vague idea he was a bestseller, albeit one of those who only made it big purely by accident, after having been midlist for oh… twenty years or so. He was describing his experience, and he said his colleagues who became bestsellers off the get-go didn’t understand the in...

Tell It Again

I often feel like everything I came to this blog to say has been said, like I’m repeating myself, like there is no point in going on.

I know I’m not the only one thinking that, as I keep getting occasional comments about preaching to the choir, or “what is the point of speaking up. Everyone who will hear will already have heard.”

And since I’ve been at this, more or less 12 years and change, it’s easy to believe that. At this point, who doesn’t know my views on Marxism? And if they re...

Confinement AAR

As many of you — perhaps most of you — know I was at ConFinement this weekend. We drove like insane people, a long, long time, without stopping, mostly because none of us could afford to take the time off for driving for two days.

I almost forgot to take books. With all the death and issues I completely forgot to get new copies of the newly issued books, or new-cover versions of the old things, including new hard covers.

So at the last minute I remembered and filled a box with far mor...

Flavors of History – Alma Boykin

*Note that this post is a re-run of a post first published in 12/8/2016. But it fits in well with our run of recent posts, and I thought it bore repeating*- SAH

Flavors of History – Alma Boykin

In the beginning there was vanilla, and it was . . .

OK, correction. In the beginning there was olive oil on flat bread with goat cheese, better known as Herodotus. He really does deserve the title of the Father of History, in the sense that he did research, interviewed people who had travele...

It was the best of Memes, It was The worst of Memes

The Pretty, Pretty Picture

“We’re just like Rome in the Decadence.” “We’re decadent, and we’re going to fall.” “It’s all scripted, we can’t escape it.”

What if I told you that you sound like a true believer in “climate models?” Or perhaps that cute little model about how Covid-19 would kill millions! Millions!

First of all you can’t hit me, because I’m on this side of the screen, and you’re not. AND furthermore, every night I pray G-d to give me one superpower. Just one. The ability to reach through the screen a...

Pro Populo

I’d like to pick up on Holly’s guest post of yesterday.

When I was reading it occurred to me that the problem of art is the problem of traditional publishing, it’s the problem of any centralized power and information.

We are social apes. Naturally and instinctively we tune in to the group we live or work with. It’s normal. We have all been members of groups that skewed slowly off normal — in minor and harmless ways, normally — and which made adjusting to the rest of the world more dif...

What is art? by Holly Frost

What is art? by Holly Frost

I was chatting with our lovely hostess the other day, and made a comment informed by having spent my entire life training and working in artistic endeavors, that Art is something that someone enjoys.

“Guest Post” she replied.

Ok, then.

My background: I was enrolled in music lessons at two, dance probably at three, visual arts as soon as my mother could manage it. Music is my first field, and writing my second. I do not remember a time when I could not ...

America’s crazy Ex-Girlfriend

There is a trope that the right in America is Masculine, and the left is Feminine. This is not precisely true. There’s plenty of women on the right, and they’re the most feminine women where it counts: Married women with children.

But in general, it kind of is true. Or at least the argument of the right tend to appeal to a more “masculine” stereotype mindset, and the ones on the left, to a more “feminized” stereotype mind set. There’s more socializing, more mind games, and an approach to ...

This Is NOT A Post

I will do a real post later. I meant to clean the house all weekend, because we have company, so of course I COULDN’T. It’s not just writing. I’m haunted by a spirit of the contrary. Or gremlins. Whichever.

So, going to clean. Post later. One of the cats WENT somewhere. From the smell, accident. But it smells.

So, later.