Tag: writer

Posted in Quotes

Holding

Posted on by aaforringer

London in 1903

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.   Jack London

John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney;[1] January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916)[2][3][4][5] was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

Image result for jack london

 

 

Posted in Quotes

Drunk

Posted on by aaforringer

RaymondChandlerPromoPhoto.jpg

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won’t let himself get snotty about it.  

Raymond Chandler

Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, “Blackmailers Don’t Shoot“, was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime (an eighth, in progress at the time of his death, was completed by Robert B. Parker). All but Playback have been made into motion pictures, some more than once. In the year before his death, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. He died on March 26, 1959, in La Jolla, California.

Raymond Chandler | Chandler-iana | Pinterest

 

 

Posted in Quotes

Immortality

Posted on by aaforringer

Susan Ertz (Author of Madame Claire)

Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  Susan Ertz

Susan Ertz (13 February 1887 – 11 April 1985) was an Anglo-American writer, known for her “sentimental tales of genteel life in the country.” She was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England to American parents Charles and Mary Ertz. She moved back and forth between both countries during her childhood but chose to live in England when she was 18. She married British Army soldier, Major John Ronald McCrindle in London in 1932.

 

 

Posted in Quotes

Frustrated

Posted on by aaforringer

Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull.    Rod Serling

Rodman Edward “Rod” Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science-fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. He was known as the “angry young man” of Hollywood, clashing with television executives and sponsors over a wide range of issues including censorship, racism, and war

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Posted in Movie Speeches

Pacifist?

Posted on by aaforringer

A nice little anti-war speech in this episode of The Twilight Zone, No Time Like the Past, a little time travel, a man tired of the hate, wars, and all the problems of the present days goes back to live in 1881.  Written by the man himself, Rod Serling.  

 

Hanford: … You some kind of a pacifist, Driscoll?

Paul Driscoll: No, just some sick idiot who’s seen too many boys die because of too many men who fight their battles at dining room tables… and who probably wouldn’t last forty-five seconds in a REAL skirmish if they WERE thrust into it.

Hanford: …I take offense at that remark, Mr. Driscoll!

Paul Driscoll: And I take offense at “armchair warriors” like yourself – who clearly don’t know what a shrapnel, or a bullet, or a saber wound feels like… who’ve never smelled death after three days on an empty battlefield… who’ve never seen the look on a man’s face when he realizes he’s lost a limb or two, and his blood is seeping out. Mr. Hanford, you have a great affinity for “planting flags deep, high, and proud.” But you don’t have a nodding acquaintance of what it’s like for families to bury their sons in the same soil!

 

 

Posted in Interviews

Interview – Jacopo Della Quercia

Posted on by aaforringer

This is an interview with someone I follow on Twitter (who also follows me) @Jacopo_della_Q .  He is a writer with his stuff displayed at The Writings & Works of Jacopo Della Quercia.

I do not recall how I started following Jacopo on Twitter but I have enjoyed his posting there, and I just bought his book The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy.   I am up to chapter 3 and I am thoroughly enjoying it and really like the true historical footnotes in a fictional story.  

French fries- Shoestring, steak, curly, crinkle cut..?   What condiment(s) on them?

Steak.  I use ketchup on my fries (except for the rare occasions I’m having a burger overflowing with a cheese sauce.

How long have you been writing and why?

I have been writing for 8 years now. It started as a learning experiment. Now, it’s a fascinating, fun career!

What odor to you is the most pleasant?

My favorite odor is fresh mountain air.

Favorite things to read?  What genre?

I usually read non-fiction works for research, but I also love classics of every genre.

 A boat you are riding in is about to capsize what did you do to contribute to this?

I’m guessing I wrote for the boat to capsize due to the zeppelin crashing into it.

What is the best thing about writing?

When you’re a writer, you really can do whatever you want because it’s not somebody else’s book. It’s yours. I love the freedom of telling stories the way I want to. Sometimes I test new ideas, and other times, I try to make my readers appreciate little-known traits from past writers whom I admire.

How much ground can a ground hog, hog, if a ground hog could hog ground?

A groundhog can hog all the ground it wants, unless a bigger, meaner groundhog comes along and takes it stuff.

What is the worst thing about writing?

Jacopo della QuerciaThere’s a lot of waiting in writing they can be unbearable. Waiting for your advances, waiting for editorial reviews, waiting for proposals to be accepted, and so forth. To me, the worst of all is waiting for inspiration. I have so many ideas that I’ve been working on and nurturing for years but have yet to funnel into proposals. It drives me crazy. But then again, some ideas, like wine, are only ready when they’re ready.

If you could force one famous person to read your stuff who would you force, and how much would you force them to consume?

I’m guessing someone who could help me sell a bunch of copies with one review, like JK Rowling. And honestly, I wouldn’t force my writing on her. I think she would really like ‘License to Quill’ if she knew about it! I also wouldn’t mind it if Donald Trump or Sean Hannity spent a month hating on ‘The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy.’ I imagine such criticisms would turn the novel into an overnight bestseller!

Where do you hope writing will lead you? Full time novelist? Twitter Millionaire?

Honestly, I just want to be able to make enough as a novelist to continue writing them at my own pace. It’s not a lot of money now, but honestly, I don’t need a lot of money to survive. If enough people read and review my work, it would free me to write as many as several books a year! I guess that’s everything. Thanks so much for the questionnaire! I had fun.

The man has done a  metric crap ton of writing for Cracked.com and here is the evidence.

Next week the remarkable Steven Harris.

 

Posted in Interviews

Interview- Maddie The Hun

Posted on by aaforringer

This is an interview with my friend Maddie the Hun, @themadmaddie  who is also a writer with her stuff at  Stories by Maddie

I met Maddie just a few days before I left Philadelphia and we have been dare I say electronic friends ever since.  I also used her name as a minor character in my next book, Primary Collision.

  French fries- Shoestring, steak, curly, crinkle cut..?   What condiment(s) on them?

How can I choose?! I would say shoestring. No condiments needed – I also have dietary restrictions that prevent them

 

 How long have you been writing and why?

    I have been writing since around 6 years old – depends on what you consider writing. I always had stories in my head but not always the ability to communicate them.
What odor to you is the most pleasant?
      Ceder.

 

   Favorite things to read?  What genre?

   I don’t do a ton of reading. I enjoy stories by people – tales of how people endure huge challenges or daily life.

 

A boat you are riding in is about to capsize what did you do to contribute to this?

I was unable to stabilize it, obviously. 

 

What is the best thing about writing?

    It is a way to create whole worlds without boundaries.  When you can’t be creative, you can be technical. When you can’t be technical, you can find new words. When you can’t find words, you can create people. There is so much about the craft and study of the written word. 

 

 How much ground can a ground hog, hog, if a ground hog could hog ground?

Just because it could, doesn’t mean it would.

 

 What is the worst thing about writing?

Nothing. It’s when you don’t write…no writing is bad or lost or bad. 

 

If you could force one famous person to read your stuff who would you force, and how much would you force them to read?

  I have no idea. I don’t know much about famous people…I wouldn’t force anything, either.

 

  Where do you hope writing will lead you?

I would love to be published – I think the work and labor would be fun and enlightening. But, if not, I still enjoy the practice. 
Well that is my e-friend,  Maddie.  To understand why I enjoy her so much here is Maddie telling about Karl the Jello.
Next week an interview with – Jacopo Della Quercia