The Holy Goof by the late William Plummer is a biography of one of the greatest literary figures to never write anything substantial–his best-known work is a fragment of a letter. But Sherlock Holmes’ words to Watson might also describe Neal Cassady’s relationship to Jack Kerouac (On the Road), Allen Ginsberg (Howl), Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) … Read More
"The work is play for mortal stakes"*
In 1988, I lived in Huntsville, Alabama working for Olan Mills Portrait Studios as a traveling photographer, a job with slightly less dignity than scraping up road kill. I also wrote novels on big yellow legal pads, that I subsequently typed up when I had the chance (on a typewriter, even). My stuff was terrible; I had no sense of … Read More
How weird is too weird?
A reader asked me, “How about how you differentiate between an exciting new idea and something that’s just plain weird? Have you ever written anything that you loved, but others didn’t quite get?” First I’d like to quote from my favorite rejection letter: “The majority of our editorial readers thought this story was just too odd for their tastes; it … Read More
By request: Fan Fiction
Recently I was asked, “What are your thoughts on fan fiction? If someone wrote fan fiction [based] on your works, would you be pleased or horrified?” Before I wade into this, let me define my terms. “Fan fiction” is fiction that makes unauthorized use of characters and concepts that belong to someone else. The actual quality of the writing, in … Read More
Giants of West Tennessee: Jesse Hill Ford, part 1
NOTE: This is an occasional series about notable figures from my home region. These are personal reminiscences and opinions; where available, I’ll include links so interested readers can find out more. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in a tiny West Tennessee town that has no school, no library, no newspaper, three churches, is a notorious speed trap and … Read More
“Do you fall in love with all of your clients?"
NOTE: SPOILER ALERT IN THE COMMENTS Recently I got an e-mail from a reader that said, in part: “Eddie LaCrosse with a girlfriend is not the same as Eddie LaCrosse wandering companionless through the world. The lonely but worldwise Eddie LaCrosse seems like a stronger character…Burn Me Deadly starts out great, but as soon as it went to the town … Read More
Robin Wood, R.I.P.
Film critic Robin Wood died on Friday, December 18, 2009. You can read the New York Times obituary here to get an idea of his importance in his chosen field. I want to tell you about his influence on me. To repeat something I seem to say often here, I grew up in a small, isolated west Tennessee town. I … Read More
Buford Pusser addenda
Thanks to my pal Thom who still lives in Tennessee, here are pictures of the markers from the site of Buford Pusser’s fatal car wreck. See my original blog post on Pusser here.
Belatedly, Dracula The Un-Dead
Before we start, a caveat. Sequels to classic novels, written long after the fact by new writers, annoy me. It’s one thing to be influenced by the classics, it’s quite another to co-opt settings, characters and atmosphere (the heavy lifting of writing) to bring life to your own derivative plot. It’s worst of all when capped by the hubris to … Read More
Agent Appreciation Day
Today is Agent Appreciation Day, created by Kody Keplinger. To celebrate that, I want to praise my agent, Marlene Stringer. Not only is she the best advocate I could ask for, she’s unfailingly astute, insightful and honest. She’s never given me bad advice, either for my career or my writing, and she’s never tried to steer me away from what … Read More