Posts

Car choices on TV and in fiction

-
I recently watched some old episodes of Supernatural . Afterwards, I started thinking about the Chevrolet the Winchesters drive. It really doesn’t seem like a terribly practical choice. The gas mileage is likely appalling, which is a big issue when constantly travelling. I can imagine it would be a hassle of trying to get parts for a fifty year old car when stranded in some small town in the middle of nowhere. (Of course, cars never break down on a TV show— unless it’s needed for the plot. Even the most reliable car in the world will break on a TV if the story needs a chance for the 19 year old blond to get stabbed to death!) And the Supernatural Chevrolet is not exactly a discreet car to drive at those times when they don’t want to attract attention. A more practical car, it seems, would be something like an older Toyota Camry. Or maybe a small SUV, which could handle bad road conditions, and treks off road while chasing down some horror living in the woods. Admittedly, the Chev
Post a Comment
Read more

Spring has sprung...for a brief moment

-
Spring came to the Seattle area for a couple of days. There was no rain. There were clear skies. We could see a bright glowing thing in the sky we don’t see very often around here called “the sun.” And temperatures were at least in the upper 60s on Monday. Around town, I saw that rain coats and heavy sweatshirts vanished overnight in favor of shorts and short sleeve shirts. Convertibles and restored collector cars were allowed to leave the garage, possibly for the first time in six months. I even rode on a bus that had the AC running. This won’t last, of course. It’ll quickly go back to the usual theme of gray skies, cold, and damp. That bus that needed AC Monday will be back to needing heat on Tuesday. Still, it’s nice having a reprieve from winter. It’s sort of like having a weekend vacation to Palm Springs, except one doesn’t need to pack a suitcase. Or deal with the hassles of flying.
Post a Comment
Read more

Author bio thoughts

-
Last night, I submitted a short story. The publication—like many—wanted a short author biography. This author bio would be used “if the story is accepted.” And so, once again, I started thinking about author bios. I honestly have mixed feelings about these author bios. I have some philosophical reservations: perhaps it’s best for the story to stand alone, and speak 100% for itself. At the same time, however, I sometimes read a story and wonder about the author. As a writer, I frankly hate writing an author bio. It may be the writing task I hate the most. I honestly wonder what I can possibly say that will be interesting or make it worth the reader’s time in reading even three paltry sentences? I won’t say my life story is deathly dull, but the parts of my life story that are interesting really can’t be easily crammed into three sentences. I usually end up with a simple author bio. Dry, dull—but the same can be said, I guess, for a copyright page, which is also a necessary evil in
Post a Comment
Read more