If I knew Tesla was coming, I might very well have baked a cake. Because, well, you know how much Tesla loves to eat cake. Lots of fun this week — excellent comments from an international crew of ‘marchers, plus…
Author: Cecil Vortex
Legends from My Childhood, #2
She took too many pills or something and nearly died but the main thing I remember is sitting down at their kitchen table and her telling us how at that critical moment she saw the light and turned back. I…
Underground
They date underground they do. And they skip by the mushrooms they dance with the dwarves They sleep under waterfalls lightless with dark sparkle and foam. They leave the sun and the wind and banana peels to the squirrels. 0
The Against the Day Deathmarch, Week 1
Welcome to The Against the Day Deathmarch — a mass-tackle of Pynchon’s latest tome. This is our fifth deathmarch, and I haven’t been this excited about an onine mass read of a challenging book since, well, since we tackled Gravity’s…
Legends from My Childhood, #1
Don’t forget what’shisname — Steven? Really smart. Played guitar. Got into heavy metal. Sort of wavy black hair? He was a tough little dude. I think they came in second in that Battle of the Bands. All covers. Maybe Free…
Dialogue, motivation, bumpers
Thought for the day: Trying to write dialogue without first getting a bead on your characters’ motivation is a little like trying to move a car by pulling on its bumper. Oh sure, you can do it. If you’re really…
The Against the Day Deathmarch Chit-Chat About Prizes
Got my book this week. I’m all excited, and who can blame me? I’m fighting the urge to dive in. I have read the quote that opens the book, and I have read the first line, and I can report…
Were they bats?
Were they birds or were they bats? Does it matter? When they drop down in darkness. When they brush up against the back of your head and nudge you along. When they flap in your hair. You want to know.…
Your Warehouse
Looking into your warehouse it’s clear that someone’s really good at stacking boxes. I know they use machines but it’s still a skill to form a lattice like that three stories high to hold against the pull top boxes feel…
I Saw It
That tree at night is so beautiful. I saw it. I saw the beauty. I claim this vision with my artist’s eye. My eye so true you crave to see the beauty I see. You pose and claim you saw…