How-to-write books have never had much appeal for me. I am happier when I learn by doing–and by reading other kinds of books. A teacher of mine in grad school used to say that bad novels teach you more about writing than good ones do; the also-rans and failures are cautionary tales, examples of what… Continue reading »
Blog
Back to School
So I took a month off from blogging without really meaning to. What that says I don’t know, except that I must have had things to do and places to be. Or maybe I’ve been lazy and distracted. I’ve done a little traveling this past month and a little fiction-writing. More on that anon. Anyway,… Continue reading »
Synonymania
One of the occupational hazards of journalism is that you become dependent on certain words and phrases. There’s “says,” unavoidably. At least it’s short and unobtrusive enough to be glossed over by a reader, even if it turns up dozens of times in a story. Shorthand and economy are useful things when you have a… Continue reading »
Link Rot!
Well, kids, the Chronicle launched its new website last week, and the old links to my Chron stories don’t work any more. I have asked our tech folks whether the problem is likely to go away (ha!)–whether, in other words, those old URLs will eventually redirect readers to archived stories on the new site. I… Continue reading »
Howard’s Rules of Reviewing (Wallet-Size)
An abridged version for those who don’t want to wade through the chatty one below: 1. Read the book. All of it. 2. Be honest. Say what you think and why. 3. Do not hide behind vagueness and cliche. 4. Resist the temptation to be mean just because you can. 5. Remember that the author… Continue reading »
