Stephen Leary's Blog, page 8

Hyperrealism and Photorealism: Technique, Not Artistry

Photorealism is a genre of art in which the artist attempts to reproduce a photograph as realistically as possible. The final painting would leave the viewer wondering if it is a painting or a photograph.

Hyperrealism is related to Photorealism. It is a newer genre of painting resembling a high-definition photograph, and is considered an advancement over Photorealism.

To me, if Photorealism is a branch of art, it is an extremely minor one. It is all technique without artistic vision. The skill...

Private Coffee Clubs Are The Future

A cafe called SL28 is London’s—and maybe the world’s—first members-only coffee club.

I say private coffee clubs hold a great future in the United States. If I were more of an entrepreneur, I just might start one myself. Coffeehouses aren't going away, more are coming, and customers will demand special perks that private membership can offer.

SL28 caters to “self-employed millennials who just need reliable wi-fi.”


I don’t know about London and what sort of undesirables are permitted to habituate...

Bestselling Used Books Are Better Than Bestselling New Books

Abebooks has released a list of the 100 Bestselling Used Books Since 2000.

Compare this list with the Bestselling (New) Books from 1900-1999.

In the last few decades of the 20th century, many of the hottest-selling new books were of the thriller/mystery variety, not traditionally thought of as great books.

But looking through the list of used books most in demand, at a glance they are surely of a much higher literary quality. I'm seeing far more "great books" on the used list than on the new one...

How To Be A Mobile Writer

If you are a writer and you are often away from your home base, no doubt you are thinking of ways to write on-the-go. You might be traveling to work or school, spending time at a cafe, visiting relatives, the possibilities are endless. My own mobile writing setup might work for you as well.

The device I often use is an Apple iPhone. It's small, lightweight, and contains all the features I need to write on the go. Any smartphone would do as well, I imagine.

The 3 major ways to input words on an...

Bestselling Books of the 20th Century

It's strange how so many bestselling novelists of the 20th century have been almost completely forgotten.

I was reminded of this truth today after looking through Daniel Immerwahr's webpage "The Books of the Century: 1900-1999."

Winston Churchill hasn't been forgotten, but how many would remember him as a writer of several bestselling novels from 1900-1915.

Harold Bell Wright was the first American to sell 1 million copies of a novel and the first to make $1 million writing fiction.


Frank Yerby w...

Starbucks Writers Colony

There are 2 kinds of Starbucks people: those who order a drink and stay, and those who order a drink and leave (I won't even include the freeloaders who walk in and stay and never order anything).

It seems like the most interesting people order and leave. But of the people who stay, a lot of them write during their time in the café, and I have to consider them part of the Starbucks Writers Colony.

I know there are few like me writing novels and stories. Some people I can see across from me are...

Real Writers Don't Fear Distractions

A real writer can't be distracted by the internet or loud noises because a real writer can't be distracted by anything!

A writer can't live in fear of the internet, loud noises, cars out on the street, and so on, and then somehow hope that he can get away from all of it for a few moments to write the next chapter of his book. Any writer who is easily distracted and keeps procrastinating by surfing pointlessly on the internet is purposely avoiding his narrative.

Fears & Excuses of Writers:
In...

Why Would Writers Stay Off The Internet?

Why are they hiding?

One reason explains why anyone chooses to stay off the internet: Fear.

Old people fearful of computers. Young women avoiding stalkers. Writers burned by lousy reviews from clueless, jealous readers?

I'm enormously skeptical of those who fear the internet without some kind of solid reason for it. Did they once prowl the internet but suffered a bad experience, and that’s the reason for shunning it? Safety and security from all the criminals who live online? You can lose a lot...

Meeting Your Fictional Character In The Real World

There she is, sitting right there in the corner of the café. My fictional character come to life! What would you do? Would you walk up to her and tell her that? "Excuse me, but I invented someone exactly like you in one of my books!"

This happened to me in a café not long ago. I saw a girl walk in whose physical appearance resembled a character in a manuscript of mine. But as I surreptitiously watched her at her seat across the room, it gradually dawned on me why a fictional character of mine...

Amazon Used Books And Condition Dishonesty

I no longer trust the descriptions of the conditions of used books sold by the Amazon marketplace dealers. They keep overstating the quality of their books and I'm often disappointed when I see them in my own hands. Some of the books I don't even want to keep and need to look for another copy. The process turns out to be a complete waste of my time. This is another good reason why I've switched to digital books wherever possible.

I suppose I'm being tough when I call it "dishonesty" rather tha...