All Blog Posts Tagged 'humor' (29)

Writing Funny

I can't do it. I envy those who can. I will admit that as a playwright, I wrote some things that were funny. But in my novels, nobody's going to laugh out loud. I note this because I started reading a friend's MS last night and I did...laugh out loud. She has the knack of being funny without being silly, and entertaining without stooping to farce, which irritates me. I was never a fan of the Lucille Ball-type heroine, so overdrawn and asinine that I wanted to slap her. My friend's small-town h… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 13, 2009 at 10:44pm — 4 Comments

Means, Motives and Opportunities

...for murder. "Easy" Bill Pay, especially when your wireless and home phone companies have just merged. Problem: no opportunity, unless smashing the monitor counts. People who believe every stupid rumor that circulates. I was told yesterday that the H1N1 vaccine is being made in China and "those people" are going to use it to kill us all off. Problem: No means available yet to eliminate stupidity. (Maybe stem cell research will provide the answer.) It leaves a person all motived up with no o… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 2, 2009 at 10:28pm — No Comments

Daughter Am I Blog Tour 2009

Today is the first day of the Daughter Am I blog tour, and frankly, I'm a bit nervous. Although I always intended to post to my own blog every day, I've only managed to average three or four times a week, yet here I have committed myself to thirty-five days of guest blogging, together with at least a brief post here to keep everyone up-to-date on my touring activities. That is a total of 70 bloggeries in 35 days! Do you think I can do it? Of course I can -- I will have to. Today I am h… Continue

Added by Pat Bertram on October 19, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Mitzi TV Bloopers #1 from Mitzi TV

http://mitziszereto.com/blog/mitzi-tv-bloopers-1-from-mitzi-tv/ Continue

Added by Mitzi Szereto on October 19, 2009 at 1:20am — No Comments

What I Love About Crimespace

I would admit that it's not helping me sell books. I admit that I spend more time than I should posting 5 days/week and responding to others. And I'll admit that we hammer at the same old questions over and over: Should I...? Can I...? Why do they...? And so on. What I love about it is the half-ghoulish, half-frantic picking of each other's brains, trying to find out if we're normal writers, whatever that may be. Here we compare experiences, observe and comment on the oddities of the business,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 16, 2009 at 10:03pm — 11 Comments

I'm Puttin' on My Top Hat...Sorta

Fred Astaire aside, I've scheduled a library talk tonight, so I've been doing all that silly stuff we do before presenting ourselves to strangers. Not sure why it matters if my nails are polished, but it makes me feel like I have done my part. The thing is, one never knows if it's going to be worth all the effort. I pack three tote bags with handouts, giveaways, book I hope to sell, etc., and then drive whatever distance I must. And sometimes nobody shows up. Sometimes three people. Sometimes th… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 6, 2009 at 10:30pm — 1 Comment

The Never-ending Edit

I believe that I could edit eternally, and I have to be very stern with myself about it. I edit in layers, so for example, I might start editing for character, checking to be sure I've been consistent and interesting and all that. But then I see a phrase that isn't quite the way I'd like it, and pretty soon I'm editing something else entirely. Now that's not all bad, because it probably will improve the piece, but WHERE does it STOP? Maybe when I'm so sick of the whole thing that I can't stand… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 1, 2009 at 10:22pm — 5 Comments

Author Hours

I did a workshop on Saturday and as usual got the question, "Do you set regular writing hours for yourself?" I always answer yes, but the sign on the door of my writing "business" would have to have some disclaimers: BUSINESS OPEN: M-F 7:00-11:00* ** *** **** *-ish. If things are going well, I might continue until suppertime. If not, I wander the house from 9:30 on, doing little non-writing tasks and hoping the muse gets her butt back into the chair soon. ** Of course these hours only apply whe… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 28, 2009 at 10:18pm — No Comments

"Born To Be Wild" - The New Video From Mitzi TV

Find it here at: http://mitziszereto.com/blog Continue

Added by Mitzi Szereto on September 26, 2009 at 3:57am — No Comments

Here's Another One

Yesterday I melded MACBETH and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED AT THE CASTLE. How about this one: Teaser: His body disfigured, his purpose unknown, he came toward the town. Was he back for vengeance? For help? Or did his red skin signal a need for...blood? Coming soon: The Return of the Count Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 24, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

I Can't Explain It

The idea hit me sometime this morning, and I just had to share: two classic stories woven together. Teaser: People are dying all over Scotland, and the blame, at least in the view of most people, falls on a certain woman. I feel sorry for her, because I can see the strain she's under. If only the real killer could be found. Oh! Could it be? Yup, it's me, Macbeth. Coming soon: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED AT GLAMIS CASTLE Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 23, 2009 at 10:07pm — No Comments

Updated Sites

A.F. Waddell Fiction Wordpress A. F. Waddell writes short fiction including humor, erotica, crime and road genres. Works include include the Thelma and Louise parody “Tina and Lucille” in The Mammoth Book of on the Road (Carroll & Graf/Robinson); “Cashmeres Must Die” in Leather, Lace and Lust (Berkeley Books) and The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, Volume Four… Continue

Added by A F Waddell on September 21, 2009 at 11:57am — No Comments

Forgive Them, For They Know Not

Had lunch with a friend who just signed her first contract, and I got a flashback. You're excited. You've finally done what you longed to do. You tell people you know, "I'm going to be published." And then, like in the Sinatra song, they spoil it all by saying something stupid. "So you're going to be just like J. K. Rowling, huh?" "When will I see your book on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List?" "I guess your husband can retire now that you're making all that money." "Have Oprah's people calle… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 12, 2009 at 10:47pm — 7 Comments

While Hubby is Away...

...something weird ALWAYS happens. So last night I'm relaxing on the couch when I hear what at first seems to be thunder. But the cat is upset by it to the point where she can't sleep, which is unusual for her. It goes on too long, so I start looking around. From the porch I can hear the rumbling clearly, but there is nothing in sight. I stand there listening to this insistent, hollow sound that can't be thunder, but the yard is empty. I go back inside; the sound continues. I look out the windo… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 10, 2009 at 10:34pm — 3 Comments

Back to the Good Stuff

We're back at home, hospitals have faded into the background, and I had a successful presentation last night. Those three things make me somewhat more cheerful, although it was a near miss. Here's the story. I hurried home from that faraway hospital place, changed my clothes, packed my stuff in a bag, and headed to the location where I was scheduled to speak. I stopped to eat on the way, choosing a fine dining establishment with a three-course meal, as I always do when I'm on the road. So anywa… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on April 17, 2009 at 10:31pm — 1 Comment

Evil Guy Speaks

I'm a really, really evil guy who opposes everything your good guy stands for. I want (the Holy Grail/ world domination/ hidden treasure/ other) so badly that I will do anything, absolutely anything, to get it. Mr. Good Guy stands in my way, so I have decided to kill him. I've thought about this a lot, and I have a plan to (blow him up, run him off the road/slice off body parts until he's history/other) because I am really, really evil. Once I rid myself of him, I can (live like a king/take ove… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 30, 2009 at 10:21pm — 7 Comments

Redundant Reporters

Is it just me or are news reporters using more and more redundancies these days? I groan but accept the fact that local news reporters speak of "a poor family with no money" or "abused animals that have been mistreated by their owners." They're local, and the ones who speak that way will likely stay local. But the other night a woman on the national news actually said, “an underground tunnel runs under this road.” I guess that's opposed to an overground tunnel. Then there are “armed police with… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 16, 2009 at 9:25pm — No Comments

Is It Funny or Is It Stupid?

I have a friend who's a psych major, and he claims that no generation can understand the humor of another generation. His logic goes that humor is an accumulation of life events, so Boomers, for example, see humor in things others don't, and vice versa. What I see in a lot of today's humor is stupidity. Characters that are considered hilarious by the standards of television, movies, and stand-up audiences are to me pitiful at best, disgusting at worst. Otherwise intelligent people in their twen… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on December 3, 2008 at 10:38pm — 2 Comments

Sequels from Shakespeare

I really don't know where the idea of MACBETH'S NIECE came from. Of course I taught the play for years, and that may have been the beginning, but who knows what makes a particular plot evolve in a writer's head? First came the idea that the man may have had family in the castle who were concerned for him but unable to change the course of events. Then came the notion that it would be a young woman who has her own problems to deal with, related to her status as the king's niece but not directly i… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 17, 2008 at 10:39pm — No Comments

A Season You May Not Know

I know not what others encounter, but in the Midwest, October is Fly Season. As a sort of farewell to good weather, flies show up in large numbers, apparently get drunk on cider that's set too long, and harass humans until we go half mad with useless attempts at extermination. What does this have to do with writing? Well, you try keeping your plot coherent when you're being dive-bombed, buzzed, and crawled upon. I begin every day with a hand-vac and clean up whoever I can catch, but that's just… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 13, 2008 at 10:53pm — No Comments