Monthly Archives: May 2024

Why It’s All Free

Posted on May 18, 2024 by midiguru

If you write fiction, it’s very natural — almost inevitable, really — that you’ll want other people to read what you’ve written. There are only three ways to do that. You can try to find a publisher, you can distribute … Continue reading →

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Free & Easy

Posted on May 16, 2024 by midiguru

Thinking out loud here. What if I were to make my novels available as free downloads? There may be a downside, but the concept offers some distinct advantages. Having scrutinized, over the past couple of years, the work of a … Continue reading →

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Crutches

Posted on May 13, 2024 by midiguru

These days, quite a lot of fledgling authors avail themselves of software-based assistance from systems like Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid in the hope or fond belief that such tools will elevate their prose to a professional level of competence. … Continue reading →

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The Heart of the Matter

Posted on May 12, 2024 by midiguru

Often in this space I pontificate about how to write fiction, or how not to. I’ve largely neglected the question of why to write. Last night I pulled Chris Hedges’ book The Empire of Illusion off the shelf and started … Continue reading →

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A Sad Business

Posted on May 9, 2024 by midiguru

According to this story in the NY Times, more than 500 Jewish students at Columbia seriously believe that Israel is the same as Judaism — that opposition to the actions of the state of Israel is the same as bigotry … Continue reading →

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Parentheses in Fiction?

Posted on May 8, 2024 by midiguru

This morning someone in a Facebook writers group asked whether parentheses should be used in fiction. I replied, “Rarely.” And never in dialog. Usually, surrounding a parenthetical phrase with commas is the right choice. But I do use them once … Continue reading →

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