Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

All Blog Posts (5,812)

Writer's Block

Hey all!

I have just a short note on the concept of writer's block.

It is a figment of your imaginations. Or perhaps I should restate that: it is a function of your imaginations.

When we as writers cease to imagine, we cease to function as writers. We fall back, as it were, into the mundane world.

It is a temporary, although sometimes problemsome, occurence from which every writer at one point or another suffers.

Take a few breaths, stretch and rethink what the story is… Continue

Share this:
Added by Mark A. Santomieri on January 17, 2010 at 4:22am — 1 Comment

Love Zombie

I woke up this morning,

4 am, the radio was playing.

It filled my empty head with static

As I rose from the flat schematic

Layout of faded cotton sheets.

I shuffled through the bedroom,

Trudged into the bathroom for a drink.

My heart seemed to drain away

With the water from my sink.

And when I dared to take a glance,

My eyes met the mirrored glass;

There stood a demon in my place.

It’s eyes were cracked,

It’s lips were… Continue

Share this:
Added by Oliver Black on January 16, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

A taste of Justine, my femme fatale

Here is Justine from Free Clinic in one of her better moods.

This is very late in the story, so let me fill in a bit.

Justine has already killed her psychotic husband, a ruthless warmonger with an hallucinated assistant that he called Bingo. He was also a scourge to our heros and heroines throughout the story. She has by now fled to presumed sanctuary at the central HQ of the scientific "resistance" that is trying to save the planet. She is in a foul state of mind, after… Continue

Share this:
Added by Mark A. Santomieri on January 15, 2010 at 7:12pm — No Comments

Cadet Ryan

Ryan Seel woke up that morning ready. He took a shower and dressed himself. He met his wife in the kitchen, where she desperately threw herself to him and started crying.

“Please…” she pleaded.

“We’ve been through this,” he answered.

“Please, Ryan! Please…”

Between sobs and deep breaths, the woman tried to talk. She, in fact, was trying to deceive her husband from what he wanted to do. He only stared at her, almost in awe as he listened to every single sob and saw every… Continue

Share this:
Added by Ale Mahogany on January 14, 2010 at 12:42am — No Comments

The New York Journal of Books is a new venture seeking to add reviewers. PLEASE REPLY ONLY BY EMAIL TO: nyjb@live.com.

The New York Journal of Books is a new venture seeking to add reviewers. PLEASE REPLY ONLY BY EMAIL TO: nyjb@live.com. If you are an author, this is an opportunity to publish reviews in your own genre, thereby promoting your own name and book(s). We also seek individuals with specific expertise, whether published authors or not, whose writing/reviewing meets our professional standard to review non-fiction books on the topics in which they have extensive expertise. Non-authors must be… Continue

Share this:
Added by Ted Sturtz on January 4, 2010 at 7:09pm — No Comments

The Mailman

The mailman arrived at exactly 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday. Every Wednesday he would go to the last house on Maples Street and deliver the mail, which included letters, taxes, and subscriptions. Every Wednesday he would arrive and find the house empty. He would open the mailbox and leave the family’s mail. He would later return to Maples Corner and wait for the bus. When he arrived that Wednesday, he found a teenage boy sitting on the front porch.

“Well, hello there. Good Morning!” he said… Continue

Share this:
Added by Ale Mahogany on January 3, 2010 at 4:41pm — No Comments

Nina

She was alone. Everybody was laughing, and talking and playing, but she was alone.

“Guys,” Jen told her friends. “I’ll meet you afterwards.”

She took a step into her table. Unwillingly, the lonely girl looked at Jen. She smiled but the girl did not smile back. She lowered her head and continued eating. Jen pulled a chair and sat down. Again, unwillingly, the girl looked at Jen.

“Hi!” said Jen.

The girl took no notice and continued eating.

“I’m Jen,” commented a puzzled… Continue

Share this:
Added by Ale Mahogany on January 3, 2010 at 4:34pm — 7 Comments

The Soldier

Once upon a time in a country called America, in a state called Washington lived an ordinary man and an ordinary woman.

One ordinary day in May the ordinary man met the ordinary woman and they fell in love.

After two years of ordinary dinners and ordinary movies, the ordinary man and the ordinary woman decided to get married.

On October 15th, a very ordinary day, the ordinary man and the ordinary woman were married. She walked down the aisle in an ordinary gown, while he in… Continue

Share this:
Added by Linda Siciliano on January 3, 2010 at 5:46am — 4 Comments

The Beginning

I am going to tell you a tale of a little girl who grew to be a writer. What was it that this little girl who grew to be a writer, writes about? Angels. How do I know this? I am that little girl.

For as long as I can remember, I have seen Angels. My earliest memories are looking out my bedroom window into the night sky and watching the Angels swing from star to star, singing the most beautiful songs, while others danced across the sky, their wings fluttering like diamonds against the… Continue

Share this:
Added by Linda Siciliano on January 3, 2010 at 5:43am — No Comments

What's real

Love concers all.Every cloud has a sliver lining. Fath can move mountains. For when there's life there's hope.

It's funny it's a;so strange how things are so much differnt than you think. Thats when I Knew. In my life it's always been the harmless stuff that hurts the most but where as the things so horrable you couldn't even imagine it was a lot easier than you think. you never really know till your the one standing there. I loved it the one thing no one knew or belived about me is that i… Continue

Share this:
Added by crystal rodgers on January 2, 2010 at 9:42pm — 1 Comment

Regarding Showing vs. Telling

I mentioned in my first post for Authors.com that by far the most hits I received during the past year were for articles I had written that pertained to finding a book agent. But there also was substantial interest in what I wrote regarding Showing versus Telling, so I have combined two articles for this post.

Also, if anyone has any comments on anything I post, please let me know. I have wide shoulders, and if you don't agree or understand where I'm coming from, please tell me. And… Continue

Share this:
Added by Robert L. Bacon on January 1, 2010 at 8:03pm — 3 Comments

Snow and Ink

Snow spread across the land:
blank pages in a new diary.
When the temperature rises just a bit
we'll go outside to write
our own little history
in the iridescent blankness
of the snow bank.
And when the summer sun,
like a bright, hot eraser,
moves across the snow's pages,
the ink of our footprints
will bleed into the earth:
blurred up, watermarked paper.

Share this:
Added by Oliver Black on January 1, 2010 at 9:31am — No Comments

Unintitled

Its been a while since I've been here... Been pretty busy with work and Christmas and a bunch of other stuff. Just thought I'd drop in and leave a little note letting everyone know I'm still alive (somehow, lol). I was out just now, buying stuff with my gift cards that I got for Christmas and when I got home, I was surprised to see a FedEx truck outside my house. At first I didn't think much about it, but when I spotted the parcel he was leaving at our front door I was all jumpy and such. I had… Continue

Share this:
Added by Andrew Kunz on December 29, 2009 at 7:44pm — 1 Comment

Writing

One has to understand the nature of the writing urge. It takes no time to put something down, but it takes a life time to write it out to our love.
William Faulkner once wrote that "writing is as giving birth to ideas." We all strive for this kind of success.
Write on!

Share this:
Added by Mark A. Santomieri on December 29, 2009 at 6:42pm — No Comments

Another Day

It was nothing
ehterial in sculpture
shining white against the winter's bliss
a small thing
freckled with old lawns' dust.
A snowball
most recently kissed
by the smiling face of kid.

Share this:
Added by Mark A. Santomieri on December 29, 2009 at 6:16pm — No Comments

Skin Deep

Tricky things are happy dreams;
Their joy is darker than it seems.
The surface glows, but 'neath the seams
An undertow of darkness teems,
Where laughter covers endless screams
And bathes the mind in Horror's streams.

Share this:
Added by Oliver Black on December 29, 2009 at 8:30am — 2 Comments

Tidbits, continued...

You know what I like about tidbits? They're like snacks, little bites that can satisfy that hunger when you're not really in the mood for a full meal. A little pick-me-up when you need it most. So, on that note......A Quiet Storm It's a quiet storm that rages within/It's a silent burn beneath the skin/It's the loudest sound you've never heard/The thundering power of just a word. Today's word is-ECHO

Share this:
Added by Cricket on December 29, 2009 at 12:56am — 3 Comments

Midnight Sea

I sneaked out while slowly closing the door. I did not want to wake up my roomates. The floor creaked with every step i took. Apparently, the wood was old enough. I walked toward the kitchen and opened up the backdoor. I carefully closed this door too and soon found myself outside. Midnight was really cold. I zipped my jacket and carefully stepped down the creaky steps. I look both sides before crossing the Resort Villa's street, for it is anything but normal to find a 16 year old outside his… Continue

Share this:
Added by Ale Mahogany on December 28, 2009 at 5:19am — 2 Comments

New media reviews and comment page at www.PhilipNork.com

Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male is getting rave reviews. From experts and friends alike, they all have something different to say about the same book. It amazes me how many people have such differing views.

Check out all the comments...

Share this:
Added by Philip Nork on December 24, 2009 at 4:51am — 2 Comments

Merry Christmas!

I hope all of you are spending this holiday season with family and friends.

We all have a lot to be thankful for and no one should spend it alone. Be sure to make the most of this Christmas Holiday cheer because we only celebrate this one day out of the year. But that doesn't mean we can't sport this spirit throughout the rest of the year. I personally have had life-changing events take place that leave me wondering what I did that was so right to be blessed with such good fortune. I… Continue

Share this:
Added by David Lucero on December 23, 2009 at 12:54am — 2 Comments