Stephen Leary's Blog, page 9
March 18, 2015
Do You Trust Your Cafe Barista?
The good barista earns the trust of her customers by consistently crafting high-quality drinks made to specification.
Do you trust your cafe barista will make your drink the way you wanted? A few of them, I do. I know from experience that they are reliable and competent drinkmakers and whenever I'm in the mood for something special, or if I have a free reward burning a hole in my app, I'll go ahead and order one of the most expensive potions on the menu.
Some baristas I've learned I can’t trust...
Do you trust your cafe barista will make your drink the way you wanted? A few of them, I do. I know from experience that they are reliable and competent drinkmakers and whenever I'm in the mood for something special, or if I have a free reward burning a hole in my app, I'll go ahead and order one of the most expensive potions on the menu.
Some baristas I've learned I can’t trust...
March 17, 2015
Authors Who Tweet Nothing But 'Buy My Book!'
I follow a lot of writers and authors on twitter and I find myself losing respect for those who tweet nothing but "Buy my book!"
The necessity and value of retweeting the same thing many times so more people will see it isn't lost on me. That's the way it works on twitter. If you tweet something only once, very few people will probably see it and many who wish they had seen it will miss it.
If you follow a couple thousand people (at the least) as I do, tweets are constantly racing along your ti...
The necessity and value of retweeting the same thing many times so more people will see it isn't lost on me. That's the way it works on twitter. If you tweet something only once, very few people will probably see it and many who wish they had seen it will miss it.
If you follow a couple thousand people (at the least) as I do, tweets are constantly racing along your ti...
March 16, 2015
Do People See The Real You Or A Distortion?
I know what people think about me without exchanging one word with them. It's a skill I've developed my entire life. I'm not claiming psychic ability; it's something more akin to seeing a finished puzzle from just a few of the pieces, or recognizing the hidden phrase on Wheel of Fortune from just a few revealed letters.
And what people think about me is all too often just dead wrong. It's a common error: people will fill up an empty wine glass with their own favorite vintage. They look at me b...
And what people think about me is all too often just dead wrong. It's a common error: people will fill up an empty wine glass with their own favorite vintage. They look at me b...
March 14, 2015
Are You A One-Genre Writer?
From reading writer profiles on twitter, it seems most define themselves as a citizen of one and only one genre township. Writers write either mysteries, romances, spy novels, science fiction, thrillers, or historical novels, but it seems few cross beyond the city limits to write all kinds of things.
I've noticed I have trouble remaining within the boundaries of one genre. So far I've published a mystery novel and a collection of non-mystery stories, and my next book will b...
I've noticed I have trouble remaining within the boundaries of one genre. So far I've published a mystery novel and a collection of non-mystery stories, and my next book will b...
March 13, 2015
Writers and Crowdfunding Campaigns
Is crowdfunding a viable option for writers trying to research, write, publish and market their books?
Self-publishers must pay all the costs in absence of a deal with a traditional book publisher, and hopefully the book will sell enough to earn it all back and more. But many writers look for financial help from the public in exchange for copies of the finished book, or other enticements.
I browsed 3 popular sites: indiegogo.com, kickstarter,com and gofundme.com.
Indiegogo seems popular with wri...
Self-publishers must pay all the costs in absence of a deal with a traditional book publisher, and hopefully the book will sell enough to earn it all back and more. But many writers look for financial help from the public in exchange for copies of the finished book, or other enticements.
I browsed 3 popular sites: indiegogo.com, kickstarter,com and gofundme.com.
Indiegogo seems popular with wri...
March 12, 2015
Writers and the Search for Silence
Are Writers Afraid of Noise?
I suppose it depends on what kind of noise it is. Some noises aren't that loud and are pretty much harmless to a writer's frame of mind. Others demand your attention and seem like auditory bullets fired at the poor writer clacking away on her laptop keyboard. Some noises are so loud or so low they can kill, I've heard.
I'm a tad skeptical of the quiet business, and the idea that a writer needs it and should seek it out. I wrote earlier that most people live in big c...
I suppose it depends on what kind of noise it is. Some noises aren't that loud and are pretty much harmless to a writer's frame of mind. Others demand your attention and seem like auditory bullets fired at the poor writer clacking away on her laptop keyboard. Some noises are so loud or so low they can kill, I've heard.
I'm a tad skeptical of the quiet business, and the idea that a writer needs it and should seek it out. I wrote earlier that most people live in big c...
March 10, 2015
What Do You Read For Your Writing?
What books I read is mostly determined with an eye toward helping me with my writing. I first turn to my favorite classic authors for ideas for my own fictional stories and novels.
As I read one of these stories, one question is always on my mind: How can I turn this classic story into one of my own, with my own stamp on it, my own setting, characters, and plot? My favorites include: Faulkner, Hemingway, Nabokov, Poe, Kafka, Borges. For literary influences, I stick to the best.
Many of the stor...
As I read one of these stories, one question is always on my mind: How can I turn this classic story into one of my own, with my own stamp on it, my own setting, characters, and plot? My favorites include: Faulkner, Hemingway, Nabokov, Poe, Kafka, Borges. For literary influences, I stick to the best.
Many of the stor...
March 9, 2015
Referential Mania and the Writer
I first heard of the concept of "Referential Mania" from reading Vladimir Nabokov's short story "Signs and Symbols" many years ago.
It's the idea that everything that happens in the world is a reference to oneself. Innocuous events and coincidences are seen as having personal significance, despite the appearance that these are just random events having nothing to do with anyone.
Psychiatrists have identified a number of examples--that people on TV are talking about the viewer, newspaper headlin...
It's the idea that everything that happens in the world is a reference to oneself. Innocuous events and coincidences are seen as having personal significance, despite the appearance that these are just random events having nothing to do with anyone.
Psychiatrists have identified a number of examples--that people on TV are talking about the viewer, newspaper headlin...
March 6, 2015
Music for Writers While Writing
Does music help a writer write and what kind of music do writers play while writing?
Some authors say they can't listen to music while writing but suggest songs for Spotify playlists that might go well with reading their books. It seems those Spotify playlists are more about reading the finished books, rather than what was heard while writing them.
Amazon's MP3 store isn't much help. I'm seeing albums designed for Readers but precious little for Writers. Assuming those songs would work just as...
Some authors say they can't listen to music while writing but suggest songs for Spotify playlists that might go well with reading their books. It seems those Spotify playlists are more about reading the finished books, rather than what was heard while writing them.
Amazon's MP3 store isn't much help. I'm seeing albums designed for Readers but precious little for Writers. Assuming those songs would work just as...
March 5, 2015
Nelson Shanks' Portrait Of Bill Clinton's Middle Finger
I'm pretty sure I admired Nelson Shanks' portrait of President Bill Clinton at the National Portrait Gallery several years ago, not long after the museum first displayed it to the public. It stood nearby paintings of his contemporaries: George HW Bush, Reagan, and Carter.
It's rare for a painting to make news headlines, except when sold for record prices, but this one did when the artist announced he had included the shadow of Monica Lewinsky's dress on the mantel.
What I remember about the por...
It's rare for a painting to make news headlines, except when sold for record prices, but this one did when the artist announced he had included the shadow of Monica Lewinsky's dress on the mantel.
What I remember about the por...
