Tag: WRITING

Geneva: a Poem. (1729)

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Today, another post with some fun stuff (more fun than fungemia, at least) from my ongoing novel research… Back in the early Georgian era, pamphlets were used to do the kind of advocacy and political consciousness-raising we see going on today on Youtube and other social networking sites. One of the more famous ones–and certainly, a poem of interest to anyone concerned with the conflict between gin distillers (who were linked to free-marketeers) versus brewers (who were linked to religious and social reformers) was Elias Blunt’s “Geneva: a Poem” (1729). The full title text is: Geneva: a Poem. Addreſs’d to the Right Honourable Sir R— W—. By Alexander Blunt, Distiller. In …

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Fungemia

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This week, I’ll be posting some “fun” snippets from bits of research devoted to my current novel project.  Probably mostly of interest to people who homebrew, or are interested in yeast and brewing, brewing history, and weird cultural stuff that went on in Renaissance Europe or in Georgian England. Today? Fungemia… which is: fungal infections of the blood. Don’t worry, I don’t have any gory pictures of anything, though if you want, there are plenty of those online, only one google search away. Did you know, you can get a yeast infection in your blood? Well, you can. And even some strains of humble brewer’s/baker’s …

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Write-a-Thon Progress Report, Week 5

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Week 5 of the Write-a-thon has just ended, for me. (For me, since I’m doing my writing on a week that runs Monday-Sunday.) Here’s my weekly update! If you don’t know what this Write-a-thon is, and want to know more, see here. (While I have a few generous sponsors already, I’d still love a few more, and if you’d like, it’s easy. More info on what’s in it for you at the link above.)

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Write-a-Thon Progress Report, Week 4

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Week 4 of the Write-a-thon ended yesterday night. (For me, since I’m doing my writing on a week that runs Monday-Sunday, that is, but since I was sick last night I took a night off…) Here’s my weekly update! If you don’t know what this Write-a-thon is, and want to know more, see here. (While I have a few generous sponsors already, I’d still love a few more, and if you’d like, it’s easy. More info on what’s in it for you at the link above.)

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Write-a-Thon Progress Report, Week 3

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Week 3 of the Write-a-thon ended yesterday night. (For me, since I’m doing my writing on a week that runs Monday-Sunday, that is.) Here’s my weekly update! If you don’t know what this Write-a-thon is, and want to know more, see here. (While I have a few generous sponsors already, I’d still love a few more, and if you’d like, it’s easy. More info on what’s in it for you at the link above.)

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Sponsor Me! (Please?)

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So, I’m doing the Clarion West Write-a-Thon this summer. I started a week ago, and was meaning to post about it, but I got busy, so I’m posting now instead. I need sponsors, because trust me, I’m writing my ass off. What’s a Write-a-thon?  Like a marathon, except instead of running, you write and write and write. The money raised goes to the Clarion West Workshop. Sign me up! Cool! You can sponsor me here! Just follow that link and click on Sponsor Gord Sellar. How will I know if you finish your writing pledge? I’ll be posting weekly updates on …

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You’d Watch This Movie, Right? (Or Read This Comic?)

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My wife was trying to figure out what to do with a weirdly-shaped canvas she’s planning to paint, and some riffing led to the ultimate pulp B-movie idea… well, for a certain audience, anyway. I’m thinking it’d be one of those neo-exploitation flicks, like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have resurrected. The image on the painting–a movie poster–features the following: Giordano Bruno, in a torn monk’s habit (with giant rippling muscles visible beneath), stetson, boots & spurs, poised with two sixguns in his hands and a cigar in his mouth, a grim look of determination on his face. Marie Curie, …

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Back on Track With “The Company of Distillers”

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So, I’ve finally figured out what the hell was wrong with the novel I’ve been trying to write, tentatively titled The Company of Distillers–why it was so damned stuck after I reached basically the halfway point or so. It means excising most of what I’d written since Christmas–about half the text I have on hand now–but that’s for the best, and I have a clearer picture of where it’s headed now. (And a clearer picture of what I was doing wrong, not just in this book but in the other one I’d been working on, too.) What helped me, besides …

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The Fascinating Victoria Yankovsky

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UPDATE (26 Feb. 2017): Some fascinating commentary, and even a new photo, can be found in the comments section below. Don’t miss it! ORIGINAL POST: So, since we got back from Korea, I’ve been struggling to get back to work on my novel(s), but I have managed to do some editing and send out a piece that I wrote earlier this year. I’ve also started editing another into shape, and have been knocking together bits and pieces that will become stories at some point. One of the more dark and harrowing stories concerns one Viktoria Yankovsky—well, not real Victoria Yankovsky, …

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