A Writer’s Blog

  • Make Your Readers Cry: Writing Emotional Scenes

    Originally posted on Allison Maruska: I watched The Hunger Games last night. I read the book before the movie came out, and I’ve seen the movie a few times. So I obviously knew what would happen. Still, a certain scene got me. By that, I mean it made me weepy. I’m not usually a weepy… Read more

  • Ashana Bigard: New Orleans is a Failing District

    Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: Ashana Bigard is a parent advocate. She wrote this article for “The Progressive.” She is aware that politicians are promoting New Orleans as a national model. She warns that the “reforms” are a fraud. She says, talk to the parents, not the hucksters. “As a New Orleans parent and… Read more

  • The Politics of Deceit

    Originally posted on The Soulful Veteran's Blog: Every Thursday afternoon I drive to a local VA medical clinic and join a veteran writers group. One of the regular members, who never served in combat, seems obsessed with the glory of war. He can’t seem to hear enough stories from us combat vets. To listen to… Read more

  • The 1.6 Ton Concrete Stairway Procrastination Project

    Writing this post about building a concrete stairway and sidewalk gave me an excuse to avoid working on the last chapter in the first novel of The Last Sorcerer series. Read more

  • The Complexity of Belief vs the Reality of Racism – a review of “Go Set A Watchman”

    When the sequel of “To Kill A Mockingbird” came out, the first thing I read was one or more of the politically correct mobs lashing out when they condemned the book because of an early scene in the novel that depicts Atticus Finch as a racist. Read more

  • Is David Coleman a psychopath, and what does that mean for the rest of us if it’s true?

    Originally posted on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé: When David Coleman said, “no one gives a shit about how you think and feel,” did that reveal his psychological profile as an alleged psychopath? As an alleged psychopath and one of the key architects behind the Common Core (so-called) State Standards agenda and the corporate education reform… Read more