Category: Writing

The Epic Fantasies of Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. He is a true master of epic fantasy, but is perhaps an even greater master of world building and refreshingly unique magic systems. The richly detailed worlds he creates are distinctly different from the “cut and dry” European fantasy tropes, and often...

A Map of Literature

17-year-old Martin Vargic has created this amazing Map of Literature as a graphical visualization of how the world’s literature evolved from the ancient era to the present day. The map is incredibly detailed, and features genres, authors, best selling books, best selling authors, and Nobel Prizes in literature. I’ve not been able...

Mythania Site Updated

I have just completed a major overhaul of my Mythania web site, and things should be looking a lot better now. The web site menu, layout, navigation, and other features should be a lot easier to interact with, and I also have an image gallery up, so take a look...

Reflections on GenCon 2012

GenCon 2012 has come and gone, and I have to say I had a pretty good time! GenCon is best known as a gaming convention, but it also has a large sci-fi and fantasy presence as well. Although I consider myself an on-again-off-again gamer, my wife and I spent most...

Rest In Peace, Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451,” “The Martian Chronicles,” “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” and over 600 short stories, has passed away at the age of 91. With eerily apropos timing, the planet Venus completed its once-in-a-century transit of the sun even as he passed from this world. Watch, think,...

Amercia (sic) Needs Copy Editors

We all know that Mitt Romney’s campaign team has chronic spelling deficiency disorder, but this recent CNN article brings to light how pervasive the disease really is — and why “Amercia” needs copy editors. People reading newspapers and news sites can empathize. They’re seeing lots of typos, as well as errors...

The History of English

Here’s a great post on the “History of the English Language, in 10 minutes,” voiced by Clive Anderson. Funny and educational.

Ten Words to Stop Misspelling

Here’s a neat little mnemonic tool to help you avoid some of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. All credit is due to theOatmeal.com, and to see the original post please go here. Click here to see the full Ten Words to Stop Misspelling

Authors Need Sponsors!

Salon.com has an interesting article that casts a spotlight on a rather old notion:  should authors have patrons? Back in Ye Olden Days of Yore, authors were commissioned by rich nobles and aristocrats to pen their works. Not so any more. Today, authors must eek a living from the few...

OpenOffice.org -> LibreOffice, oh my…

As a writer, I am proud to say that I have used OpenOffice.org as my primary office suite for over 5 years, and could not be happier with it. While I must admit that Microsoft Office is a good office suite product, I rather dislike its user interface (the ribbon,...