Newsletter 009 – February 25th, 2022 Hi, About the image above: Late in the afternoon on May 15th, 2010, Minay and I arrived in the town of Little Sutton, about five miles across the River Mersey from the Beatles’ original stomping grounds. I desperately wanted to go over and wander along Penny Lane and see …
Throughout the centuries, left-handers have been maligned, and often forced into right-handedness (especially as concerns, but not limited to, their handwriting). I’m left-handed, and at a very early age I became convinced that the deck was stacked against me. When we were first learning to write cursive in school, my teacher tried to make me …
Recently I was asked to interview for a member profile for a group I belong to, The Gutsy Great Novelist. Here’s a copy of it. Let’s begin with your origin story. When did you first realize you wanted to write a novel? Was there a particular person or experience that inspired you I think I’ve …
fallow, adjective. 2: dormant, inactive —used especially in the phrase to lie fallow A New First Post The final posts in my previous blog were written in 2016, roughly five years ago. What was happening between then and now? Why did I let those websites lie fallow all that time? I could make a number …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] I’ve been involved in creative fields most of my life (actor, deejay, voice work, photography, graphic design, etc.), so I understand how much work goes into the product before the public gets to see it. Rehearsing for a play is often six to eight weeks …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] I was honored to be interviewed recently by the nice folks at Scribe, the Writers’ League of Texas’ blog, for their Meet the Members segment. It posted today. Here’s a copy of the interview. MEET THE MEMBERS Posted by Writers’ League Staff, March 17, 2014 …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] I have (over the past two years) written a few posts about the idea of using the phrase “What if” as an idea generator for developing a plot. “What if” novels are often about large historical events, like Kennedy’s assassination, the D-Day invasion, or the …
After Minay and I got married in August 1982 — yes, it’s been nearly thirty-two years, and she hasn’t killed me yet — I made sure I had an area to write in. Sometimes it was makeshift, like the corner in the second bedroom of our first apartment (which also served as our exercise room …
A few days ago, my wife, Minay, and I took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cave Paintings of Lascaux exhibit that’s running at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It will be here in Houston through March 23, 2014. It has already been displayed in Bordeaux, France, and at the Field Museum in Chicago. It …
I have a few pet peeves regarding language. One is that I think the word “allegedly” is often misused. If you pay attention to news broadcasts, you have probably noticed the constant use of the words “alleged” and “allegedly” in describing persons who have done something, most often associated with a crime. I’m not trying …