Be honest with me: how serious are you about the serial comma? Do you wade into discussions on language forums and social media brandishing citations from your favourite authorities? Do you dismiss dissenting authorities as heretics? Are there style and usage guides on your bookshelf with sticky notes and bookmarks
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mark a. rayner: My three favorite reads last year
This was a fun little exercise – pick your three favorite reads from the last year. It’s on a book and author discovery site called… The post My three favorite reads last year appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Earth’s Gravity, But Not the Kind You Think
If you’re not already familiar with Earth, by David Brin, then in a weird way, I envy you. You have got some great science fiction… The post Earth’s Gravity, But Not the Kind You Think appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Terrifying Conveyances IV: The Twin Otter
The first and only time I’ve been on an aircraft that ran out of fuel was in a Twin Otter. At least I hope it’s… The post Terrifying Conveyances IV: The Twin Otter appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Formidable! My Night at the Moulin Rouge
If you’ve seen the movie Moulin Rouge (2001), then no doubt you’re expecting an extravagant, musical story about this evening. Let me set you straight:… The post Formidable! My Night at the Moulin Rouge appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingScripturient: Musings on Haiku
I can’t recall just when I first encountered haiku, that subtle, concise and often baffling Japanese poetry, but I suspect it was sometime in the late 1960s, not long after I was first introduced to Buddhism. I recall having the four-volume set of seasonal haiku by Blyth back in those
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Creativity, A Short and Cheerful Guide
“Anyone can be creative!” This happy idea is the central thesis of John Cleese’s pithy treatise on how to be creative. The book really is… The post Creativity, A Short and Cheerful Guide appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingPostArctica: Street Writing Snippet #1
Angelique imagines herself howling. It seems like something she would like to do. Some people imitate what they believe are Iroquois war cries. She is not sure how you could confirm that that that is what they sounded like, unless you could ask an Iroquois to demonstrate one, and that
Continue readingScripturient: Ars Poetica
Horace’s Ars Poetica, or the Art of Poetry, was written as a 476-line poem in a letter to his friend, the Roman senator Lucius Calpurnius Piso (Lucius) and his two sons, around 19 BCE. It was known for a time as the “Epistle to the Pisos” until 95CE when the
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes
Here’s fifteen of my favorite bits of advice for writers, from a collection of writers I admire. You’ll note there’s not a single bit of… The post Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Non-Euclidean Emergency Medicine Show
This is a straightforward, if non-Euclidean, scene I cut from my fourth draft of Alpha Max. I thought it was fun, but it didn’t move the plot along much and I was able to cut it down to a couple of sentences in the sixth (and final) draft. You don’t
Continue readingmark a. rayner: What is the multiverse?
If you’ve ever gazed up at the stars, knowing that you are only seeing a tiny fraction of our galaxy, and then realized the Milky… The post What is the multiverse? appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books
Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. This may be a controversial choice to top a list of humorous science fiction books, but I have… The post Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: How to Beat Writer’s Block: An Author’s Tale
Once upon a time, I lived in Prague, in a part of town known as Smichov, long before I had to learn how to beat… Continue ReadingHow to Beat Writer’s Block: An Author’s Tale The post How to Beat Writer’s Block: An Author’s Tale appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Robertson Davies and Alice Walker: A Review By Someone Who Has Never Read A Single Word They Have Written
Such a delightfully warm and witty man, Robertson Davies seems most definitely to be. He looks so severe, when you first look at his face, but then he speaks, and there is such an effusive warmth, gentleness, sensitivity, good-heartedness, magnanimity, graciousness, playfulness, optimism, compassion, humour and wit, that you realize
Continue readingScripturient: Musings on Downsizing, No. 1
Downsizing seems to be all the rage among people our age. It’s so popular, it might be classified as a sport or a game for seniors. Assuming someone could codify the rules, that is. I’ve been told it’s all over the TV, too, but since we haven’t had cable for
Continue readingmark a rayner: Biggest laughs…
I’m not entirely sure I agree with my literary patronus on this one, but there is something to be learned from the quote. I DO… Continue ReadingBiggest laughs… The post Biggest laughs… appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: Dystopic stories – why are we obsessed?
And let’s face it, we are obsessed. Our media are laden with the dystopic. Some of our most popular stories are based on horrific cultures,… Continue ReadingDystopic stories – why are we obsessed? The post Dystopic stories – why are we obsessed? appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingScripturient: The Penguin Classics Book
Did you know there is a card game played in Japan at the New Year, called uta-garuta, where 100 cards have a full poem on each — traditionally taken from their classical poets — and another 100 have just the final line. Players take turn reading the poem from the
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