Monthly Archives: July 2011

Making Dialect Cool

Posted on July 9, 2011 by David

“Why Aye Man” is a terrific song by Mark Knopfler. Listen to it first for the smoking guitar. Then listen to it again for the Geordie lyrics. P.S. Sorry about the picture of the Strat. This is obviously a Les … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Song | Tagged Dialect, Geordie, Mark Knopfler, Smoking Guitar, Why Aye Man | Leave a comment

This Just in from Iceland…

Posted on July 8, 2011 by David

At the risk of overblogging today, see this. Sounds like a Neil Gaiman story waiting to happen.

Posted in Music, Song | Tagged Drinking Song, Elves, Music Soothes the Savage Beast, Neil Gaiman | Leave a comment

K.W. Jester

Posted on July 8, 2011 by David

Lol.

Posted in Steampunk | Tagged Spelling Errors | Leave a comment

What Is Steampunk? (13) (More Steampunk+)

Posted on July 8, 2011 by David

I’ve been reading (and writing) more steampunk. Here are three more examples of not-quite-straight-up-Vernesian steampunk. Larklight and sequels, by Philip Reeve, are steampunk space opera for middle readers. This series has the Whimsy cranked to 11. Britannia rules the aether … Continue reading →

Posted in Steampunk | Leave a comment

The World Is Broken

Posted on July 7, 2011 by David

I grew up playing a lot of roleplaying games (this was back when they were published as books, rather than boxes full of plasticized crap, and you had to provide your own pencil and dice, not to mention figurines, monster … Continue reading →

Posted in How to Write | Tagged Boxes of Plasticized Crap, Inciting Incident, Roleplaying Games, Worldbuilding | Leave a comment

Harry Potter Makes Us Sad

Posted on July 6, 2011 by David

According to this guy. Because it’s a bummer to grow up and find out you’re just a muggle, after all. I think that’s hilarious. Reminds me of the stories I heard about Avatar, claiming that people came out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Avatar, Growing Up and Finding Out You're Just a Muggle, Harry Potter, James Cameron | Leave a comment

Children Will Not Be Admitted At All

Posted on July 6, 2011 by David

“Mummies!” cried Edgar Allen Poe, flinging his hands up in a conjuror’s wave before him. “Mummies, of both man and mysterious beast!” He stalked the deck of the Liahona, cool breeze snapping around his … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Sample | Tagged Ancient Egypt, City of the Saints, Writing Visually | Leave a comment

What Went Wrong With Star Wars

Posted on July 5, 2011 by David

This review is full of profanity. It’s also full of a lot of wise observations about what was wrong with Episode I. Watch this, ignore the profanity, and think about what he’s saying about writing.

Posted in How to Write | Tagged Episode I, Film, Review, Star Wars, The Phantom Menace | Leave a comment

Patriotic Interlude

Posted on July 4, 2011 by David

Happy Fourth of July. Q. Our national anthem, of course, takes its lyric from the poem “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, by Francis Scott Key. But do you know where the music comes from? A. “To Anacreon in Heaven”. … Continue reading →