Often, when we find an interview of interest, we like to point out something that particularly excited us. Usually, it’s a line or two that makes us say, yes, that is what we want people to get out of this article. Then there are those moments when, in order to accomplish our lofty goal, we […]
Articles from November 2004
Editorial Restraint
November 19th, 2004 · Comments Off on Editorial Restraint
File Under: Square Pegs
A Convenient Smoke Screen
November 19th, 2004 · 8 Comments
A month or so ago, we posted about an author who claimed she’d been investigated because certain research triggered Patriot Act alarms. This story came from a trusted source and a trusted publication. This week, we’ve received several pieces of information indicating the author profiled in the article may have been, well, lying. She is […]
File Under: Square Pegs
In Which We Feel Anti-Climatic
November 18th, 2004 · 3 Comments
We must say, with all the controversy and discussion surrounding the National Book Awards, we expected something along the way of fireworks. A denunciation of the process. A Native American accepting the award on behalf of someone. Random violence because someone said something someone else found offensive, though nobody could explain why. We may have […]
File Under: Square Pegs
You’ve Written The Thing, Now What?
November 18th, 2004 · Comments Off on You’ve Written The Thing, Now What?
Soon, a heaping lot of people will have completed 50,000 words of a novel (we plan to be one of the elite, but realize we will be nowhere near finished). While we’d normally linger on the joys of revising, today we’re going to pretend we’ve done so and move on to what one does with […]
File Under: Agents
Stockholm Syndrome, Revisited
November 18th, 2004 · Comments Off on Stockholm Syndrome, Revisited
We are very excited to have introduced two new phrases to the modern lexicon (if we are not clever and unique, do not tell us): Consultant Stockholm Syndrome and Homonym Dyslexia. We like to think both are self-explanatory. But we must say we never dwelled on ghostwriters and hwo they identify with captors. In a […]
File Under: Square Pegs
Maybe It’s Just Us, But Do We Really Need To Rewrite All History?
November 17th, 2004 · Comments Off on Maybe It’s Just Us, But Do We Really Need To Rewrite All History?
“This is very important and credible research. We should not be afraid to destroy the myths, ” Francesco Pirella of Genoa’s Museum of Print told Discovery News. No, no, we should be afraid to destroy myths. Please allow us to cling to our belief that Gutenberg was, well, Gutenberg’s real last name (please, our heart […]
File Under: Square Pegs
Either Halfway There Or Not
November 16th, 2004 · Comments Off on Either Halfway There Or Not
Since it’s about halfway through the month (or, rather, just beyond halfway, but close enough for government work), we thought we’d check in with our progress. Despite some days of loafing and some days of high-level production, we remain in the 25,000 word range. We’re not sure if this speaks more to dedication or luck. […]
File Under: Square Pegs
Giving Love A Bad Name
November 16th, 2004 · 2 Comments
We don’t know where to begin. No really, we’re quite finger-tied at the moment. Who let Barbara Cartland appear in public with blue eyeshadow? Did the woman not have people to help her? That’s cruel and unusual punishment. Being dead is surely not enough insulation for this punishment. Cartland, the famously prolific (and dead) author, […]
File Under: Square Pegs
This Is Actually More Helpful Than It Appears
November 16th, 2004 · Comments Off on This Is Actually More Helpful Than It Appears
Much to our surprise, more than a few visitors use the Mozilla browser when playing on the Web. Now the rest of you (except the Konqueror users — merely because we admire your pluck), we need to talk. Specifically about tabbed browsing. There is no greater thing of beauty. In a single window, you can […]
File Under: Tools and Craft
How We Learned To Stop Worrying, and Love Reality Television
November 16th, 2004 · Comments Off on How We Learned To Stop Worrying, and Love Reality Television
And, yes, we’re linking to this article simply so we can use this stupid headline. We’re contemplating doing a Google search to see how many other clever souls have done the same thing…no, we’re over the idea. Amazing how fleeting these plans for doing research can be. Terry Southern, in addition to all of his […]
File Under: Square Pegs