Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 41
July 13, 2017
“I feel the need to write…”
Forty years ago (which seems to be a trend of mine lately), I opened a spiral notebook and started to write a journal. This wasn’t when I became a writer. I became a writer when my English teacher Darlene Loiler read that journal, told me that I have potential, and encouraged me to develop it. What …
July 10, 2017
The worst cars I’ve ever owned
Forty years ago, I stepped out of the DMV office as a newly minted California driver. Since then, I’ve owned a number of cars to the Prius that I drive today. Not all of them were pleasant to drive. Here are the worst cars I’ve ever owned in 40 years of driving. 1974 Ford Mustang …
July 9, 2017
What’s new with Amiga
First, thanks to all of you who read and reviewed Amiga in the Inkitt novel writing contest. I got good feedback and learned a lot from the experience. My goal is to get Amiga in the hands of everyone who wants to read it. (Of course, royalties are nice.) So, I’m looking for other opportunities to …
July 5, 2017
An iPhone for Mom
It was time to upgrade the phone on my carrier’s plan. I knew exactly what I wanted: An iPhone 7 with 128 GB of storage in rose gold. The color was the most important feature because it honored someone who didn’t live long enough to get her own iPhone. One of my mom’s prized possessions …
June 28, 2017
Dystopias and utopias
I was about to follow up my post about political fiction with one about dystopias. Then, I came across an excellent article about dystopian fiction by Tracy Larson. It’s well worth reading. I agree with her that “What if?” and believable character reactions are important considerations in creating a fictional dystopia. I would add one …
June 25, 2017
Your opinion, please
In an earlier post, I said I was restarting my Doria series. I’d like your feedback on an idea I have for the new book. It is set in the present day. Doria has not only recovered from its revolution and transition to democracy, it has become a budding global superpower. Its president is Carla …
June 18, 2017
Have you thanked a “grammar Nazi” today?
You’re in the middle of a heated discussion on social media. You blurt out, “Your stupid for believing that!” He replies, “*You’re*” You reply, “Well, *you’re* a grammar Nazi!” I hate the term “grammar Nazi.” It minimizes the crimes committed by actual Nazis, and it’s not cruel and unreasonable to expect people to use language …
June 14, 2017
So, you want to write a political novel…
Everyone is concerned about politics these days, so you might be thinking about writing a political novel. After all, 1984 topped bestsellers lists this year, and The Handmaid’s Tale was made into a hit series on Hulu. If you want to write a political novel, be careful. Agitprop makes for some horrible fiction. Take Ayn …
June 12, 2017
An interview with Joannes Rhino
I was interviewed by Joannes Rhino about writer’s block, fiction, being a cubicle author, and more. Check it out here. http://www.sethlestath.com/matthew-ar...
June 7, 2017
Why you should post reviews
I admit that this post is self-serving. I want to encourage readers of my novel Amiga to post reviews of it on the Inkitt site. Inkitt uses reviews as part of their algorithm to select books to publish. If you’ve read Amiga and haven’t posted a review on Inkitt, please do so. And if you still need reasons to …
