Category Archives: writing

On symbolism and author intent

Posted on November 3, 2011 by José Iriarte

The other day a friend asked what I thought of the way English teachers are always going on and on about symbolism. The whale symbolizes this; the letter symbolizes that; the snowman symbolizes this other thing. They’re just reading all … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching, writing | Leave a comment

Literary Language or Stock Clichés?

Posted on August 2, 2011 by José Iriarte

A few days ago one of my friends linked to this article via Google+. I think it’s an interesting article, and, at the very least, it’s a good warning to writers to stay away from stock clichés. I searched through … Continue reading →

Posted in tech geek, writing | 3 Comments

Way more competitive than YOU are

Posted on July 29, 2011 by José Iriarte

It took me five or six years to figure out that other couples don’t play games the way my wife and I do. We’ve got a massive collection of pretty much every game either of us has ever owned, and … Continue reading →

Posted in assorted nerdom, writing | 6 Comments

Impossible Writing Prompt: Create a Believable Character Evil Enough to Pull Off the Writer House Hoax

Posted on July 27, 2011 by José Iriarte

I’ve seen several mentions this week, mostly over Twitter, of the vile hoax played by an individual posing as Jodi Reamer from Writers House. It sounded pretty crappy, but I didn’t go clicking on links to find out more about … Continue reading →

Posted in rants, writing | 2 Comments

Best Books on Writing

Posted on July 26, 2011 by José Iriarte

At writers’ group tonight*, the topic of books on craft came up. Always happy to hear myself talk, I began to expound on which books had worked for me, when our group leader suggested I share the list online instead. … Continue reading →

Posted in writing | 7 Comments

What would the FBI make of your search history?

Posted on July 12, 2011 by José Iriarte

I was about as mercifully unaware of the Casey Anthony trial as someone living in Central Florida can possibly be. I mean, obviously I heard about the mystery, the discovery of the body, the trial, and the verdict, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in writing | 14 Comments