As I dive more fully into my next book, I savor the chance to do more research. Y’all have no idea how much fun it can be to write a book. Ride-alongs with police, going out to the country to shoot an AK-47, figuring out just what it feels like to come back from a coma. While most authors tend to base our work in … Continue reading Imagination and research
When creating visual art, the artist utilizes light from around him, from within the painting or sculpture, and as a part of the void where his medium is not. The lighting becomes an integral piece of the final statement and smart artists spend hours ensuring that their work is displayed in the best possible light. For my research on noir fiction, I watched many “B” … Continue reading Writing Art: Working with Light
It’s a high-pitched sound, somewhere between a ringing and a rushing of water. Constantly reverberating in my left ear, it seems to be the movement of fluid through the inner canal. I didn’t think much of the sound until one day last fall when, congested from a virus, I couldn’t tell which way was up. Turns out occasional vertigo along with the ringing is a … Continue reading A Silver Lining
When Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, or even Rob Thomas sings a tune, you know exactly who is singing before the artist is identified. Another person could sing the same lyrics in the same tone, but wouldn’t have their unique voice. For example, here are clips of Billie Holiday and Janice Joplin singing Summertime: Background: Great writers also have a unique “voice,” –but if it isn’t … Continue reading Voice like Billie’s
Lucie Smoker 