3 Reasons Why Ron Swanson Is a Transcendentalist

Every year about this time in my American Literature classes we get on the topic of transcendentalism, namely the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.  This leads us to reading comparative essays by Wendell Berry.  This also invariably causes students who are fans of the NBC hit show Parks and Recreation to draw the conclusion

Experts Say Oklahomans Will Vote Republican By Default

Today is the Republican and Democratic primary across Oklahoma, but experts think Oklahomans will vote straight party Republican by default in November.  Researchers and political scientists at the University of Phoenix have come to the conclusion that Oklahoma should probably have a machine at polling stations that simply votes straight party Republican when each citizen

Why Being a Novelist and Being a Teacher Sometimes Doesn’t Mix

I’ve been an English teacher for over 16 years and I’ve technically been a novelist for about 5 of those years.  I’ve been running this blog now for over two and half years, and I can tell you that doing all of this is really taxing. Right now I am in beautiful Louisville, Kentucky at

My Visit To the Temple of the Oblong Ball

Last week I went on a field trip with my middle daughter to the Temple of the Oblong Ball, what its worshippers affectionately call “Owen Field”.  Upon mention of its name, worshippers often place their hand on their hearts and cast their eyes downward in reverence.  Sometimes they will utter the holy battle cry “Boomer”

New Podcast Up: Television Writing & Sci-Fi Awards

In this episode, Ryan and I discuss the current writing on television and how it is a reflection of competition with writing in cinema, and is much better in many ways. What makes television writing so much better lately and how can the indie writer bank on that wave of good work? We also lament the

15 Things Historical Fiction Writers Should Keep In Mind About Victorian Society

Currently I am teaching Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest.  Upon doing research for the class, I stumbled upon an old book by Anna R. White entitled Youth’s Educator for Home and Society (1896). It occurred to me that some of you like to write steampunk or historical fiction set in the Victorian Era.  If you

Blog Spam Is Sometimes Hilarious

I am not really sure where it comes from, but I will often get comments to my blog posts that are…well…nonsensical spam.  Today I decided to post some examples of this for your enjoyment, and since this is a blog about writing, the sad thing would be that these writers are wasting their time writing this

My Horrible Dream About the Zack Snyder Batman Movie

As a writer, one of my richest sources for material comes from my dreams, but I had a sort of odd nightmare last night that so disturbed me that I had to write about it in today’s blog.  It should produce a chuckle or two. As you can see above, I have done the best

Woody Allen Gives Brilliant Interview

Observe as Woody Allen spins out joke after joke, completely deadpan, from an incredibly creative mind. Oh, to have his creative spark!

Podcast Preview: Why Self Publish?

On the Fridays before our new podcast episode airs, I will be writing a little blog preview of what we will be discussing on the show.  I absolutely love the podcast idea, and it has been so much fun creating them.  The podcasts debut on every other weekend, so hop on over to iTunes and