Why Extra Credits is right (and couldn’t be more wrong)

It is rare that I see something that truly makes me outraged. As trendy as it is these days to raise your fist and shout at the world, that’s something I generally try to avoid. But recently, I saw something that I just cannot let fly without addressing it directly. It’s this: The Good Extra… Continue reading Why Extra Credits is right (and couldn’t be more wrong)

Trope Tuesday: Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Oh dear. I’m probably going to take some heat for this one, especially if it gets picked up by File 770. What is a “manic pixie dream girl”? Tvtropes puts it this way: An upbeat young woman whose love gives the brooding male hero a new lease on life. Wikipedia puts it this way: …the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Why writing every day may not be the best advice

When I started writing back in college, the prevailing advice was to write every day. And to be fair, at the time, that was very good advice. I was just getting started on my writing career and had a lot of learning to do. My writing improved by leaps and bounds as I strived to… Continue reading Why writing every day may not be the best advice

Thoughts on Mark Coker’s 2018 Publishing Industry Predictions

January is a time for making forecasts and predictions, and Mark Coker of Smashwords certainly did not disappoint. I have a lot of respect for Mark Coker, not only for being one of the pioneers of indie publishing, but for continuing to share his data and insights with us over the years. That said, I… Continue reading Thoughts on Mark Coker’s 2018 Publishing Industry Predictions

Response to Correia’s awesome rant on fans vs. authors

So Larry Correia wrote an awesome rant the other day about fan entitlement and writing professionalism. The thing that set him off was a discussion on his author Facebook page where a bunch of readers were castigating Patrick Rothfuss for taking 6+ years to write his next book. A bunch of them started arguing that… Continue reading Response to Correia’s awesome rant on fans vs. authors

Thoughts on the violence in Charlottesville

No one is right in any of this. I tend to lean to the “right,” but it’s a completely different “right” than any of the protesters at this event. Constitutional conservatives and classical liberals are both increasingly endangered species in this country, and that’s a problem. Nothing in our Constitution supports Nazism and white nationalism.… Continue reading Thoughts on the violence in Charlottesville

The thousand year view

How will your life impact the world in a thousand years? It’s an easy question to dismiss. After all, how can one person possibly shape the course of history? Even if we accept the impact of certain great men, how can we have the hubris to think that we might one day join them? But… Continue reading The thousand year view

3am thoughts, or why everyone says to be an accountant (Blast from the Past: October 2013)

A lot of my blog posts this week had to do with money, wealth, and politics, so when I was searching for an old post to bring back, this one made me stop and reflect for a while. My opinions and perspective have changed a bit since I wrote it, but the fundamental message is… Continue reading 3am thoughts, or why everyone says to be an accountant (Blast from the Past: October 2013)

The end of politics in America, part 2

How did Trump become the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth? A lot of people are asking that question, while a lot of other people already know (hint: it wasn’t the Russians). But I want to get beyond the circus that is Washington DC, and answer that question by asking another: Can politics solve our nation’s greatest… Continue reading The end of politics in America, part 2