When Art Changes Us

There’s something about Spanish artists that, if they don’t fragment reality on the canvas, then they do it to the viewer. I mean, have you ever seen Guernica? Have you ever seen anyone after viewing Guernica? This couple learned the lesson of fragmented viewers the hard way … they viewed … they fragmented …

The event was the opening of Angel Gomez’ exhibition at Ingrid Mueller Art + Concepts on January 25 (can you believe it’s almost the end of January?). The turnout, as usual for Fredericton’s Princess of Art, was enthusiastic.

Notice how, even at the beginning of the evening, signs of fragmenting are prominent. Later, when there were several thousand people in the gallery, the crowd turned into one large viewer named Hal.

Of course, Ingrid herself was there to greet everybody and make introductions and just general give the place its real sense of class. Ingrid’s devotion to the arts has reached a level where she’s actually become art …

And the picture below … well … I saw this corner in one of the rooms off from the main gallery and it just struck me as cool …

Back to Murder

It's been almost two years since I took a break from Murder by Burger to work on other things, including short stories for Twisted Tails (Volumes 1 and 2), Ladies of the Fountain (which I might even try to get published some day), my eMarketing book for writers, some beat poetry and a whole lotta blogging ... and other stuff.

But now I'm back at it ... with an end of May deadline. I'm back up to speed on the story so far and I have the next few chapters plotted. I have my eBay murder victim and I've stocked up on beer, wine, and pizza. The rest is up to my Muse. I'll have to call her and arrange for a coffee.

BTW, for those who have taken my writing workshops, asked me how I plot stories, or read any of my posts on writing ... the bristol board exercise is for real ...

From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors: Words of Wisdom for Starving Artists, Part 2: The Chapters and the Web Sites

Just in from the editor of From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors … the chapters and the web sites for each of the authors:

Chapter 1 – Literary Legalities: Copyright And Other Protections For Aspiring Writers by Natalie C. Bandlow (http://www.parenttochild.com) and Lincoln D. Bandlow (http://www.foxspillane.com)

Chapter 2 – Inspiring and Funny Story about Jo Kelly’s Life in Hollywood by Jo Kelly (http://www.jkelly4extras.com)

Chapter 3 – The Experience of Writing My First Novel: Strategy and Process by Dr. Hugh Rosen (http://www.hughrosen.com)

Chapter 4 – Oh, Those Managers and Agents … Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them …by Michael J. Wallach (http://www.howtogetarrested.com)

Chapter 5 – Three Important Quotes by Marcus Alexander Hart (http://www.marcusalexanderhart.com)

Chapter 6 – Science Fiction/Fantasy Literary Conventions: anything but conventional by Peter Prellwitz (http://ShardsUniverse.net)

Chapter 7 – A Very Brief Memoir of the 2006 Maritime Writers’ Workshop and Literary Festival – From a Survivor by Biff Mitchell (www.biffmitchell.com)

Chapter 8 – Life of a Writer on a Christmas Tree Farm by Darrell Bain (http://www.darrellbain.com)

Chapter 9 – Up Close & Personal: Confessions of a Serial Writer by Eugen M. Bacon (http://www.eugenbacon.com)

Chapter 10 – Analysis of a Goal Plan by Lea Schizas (http://leaschizasauthor.tripod.com)

Chapter 11 – Grants and Opportunities for Writers: Thinking Outside the Box by Patricia Harrington (http://www.patriciaharrington.com)

Chapter 12 – Getting the Word Out by Karen DeGroot Carter (http://www.pearlstreetpublishing.com) and (http://www.sustenancescout.blogspot.com)

Chapter 13 – Just What is Science Fiction, Anyway? by J. Richard Jacobs (http://www.writers.net/writers/35811) and (http://geocities.com/orbitaldata/jwrites.html) and J's science site at: (http://geocities.com/orbitaldata/index.html)

Chapter 14 – Casting Children as Extras/Background Actors by Jo Kelly (http://www.jkelly4extras.com)

Chapter 15 – Be Not Just A Smart Actor, But an Actor With Smarts by Michael J. Wallach (http://www.howtogetarrested.com)

Chapter 16 – Creative Writing and the Examined Life by Dr. Hugh Rosen (http://www.hughrosen.com)

Chapter 17 – Edit or Be Damned by Eugen M. Bacon (http://www.eugenbacon.com)

Chapter 18 – Truth in Fiction by Karen DeGroot Carter (http://www.pearlstreetpublishing.com) and (http://www.sustenancescout.blogspot.com)

Chapter 19 – How To Become a World Famous Best Selling Author, Work Seven Days a Week And Still Earn Less Than a Migrant Day Laborer by Darrell Bain (http://www.darrellbain.com)

About the Editor – Marilyn Peake (http://www.marilynpeake.com)

From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors: Words of Wisdom for Starving Artists

Twisted Tails author Marilyn Peake has put together a collection of articles from her newsletter, The Golden Goblet, which will be published later this year by Double Dragon Publishing.

One of the articles in the book was written by an obscure author living at the edge of the world. It's about the workshop on science fiction and cyberpunk he conducted last summer at the Maritime Writers' Workshop and Literary Festival. His name escapes me at the moment. Like I said, he's obscure. Here's more about the book:

From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors: Words of Wisdom for Starving Artists

This book opens with copyright information from Lincoln D. Bandlow, an attorney specializing in intellectual property law in Century City and the out-going President of the Los Angeles Copyright Society. The remaining pages include a treasure trove of information from: a personal manager for Hollywood actors, a Hollywood teacher and movie extra, a "Fictionwise eBook Author of the Year", an owner/co-owner of two websites listed among the "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers", a retired university professor, and other successfully published authors. This book is based on articles published during the first year of "The Golden Goblet" Newsletter edited by Marilyn Peake, and features additional articles by contributing authors written expressly for this book.

Ever Wanted to Murder Someone?

I did it. And I got away with it. More than once. In fact, I’ve killed several thousand people. And you can too. This summer, I’ll be giving a workshop on mystery and suspense writing at the Maritime Writers’ Workshop. It’ll be a total immersion into the art of creating fiction that perplexes, intrigues and puzzles. You’ll learn how to spy on people to create convincing characters, and create settings that appeal to every sense ... including fear.

You’ll also learn when it’s right to use sex, violence and Beethoven’s 9th, You’ll learn to plot and create surprise endings. There’ll be a ghost hunt, lots of discussion, and advice on getting published. There’ll even be a party, perhaps unsuspecting victims.

And you’ll learn how to get away with murder. Do you dare to learn more? Then click here.

NotAPixelOfSanity - A Call In The Wilderness To Everybody In The Courseware Industry, Past and Present

So ... I used to have a web site at erectsoftinc.com. It was hosted at GoDaddy. Somehow, my hosters messed up those fragile superhighway linkages and the url was directed to my biffmitchell.com web site instead of erectsoft. After repeated, and failed, experiences with the GoDaddy support people, I decided to just scrap the site.

Brad Parks, who hosts my biffmitchell.com site, is going to let me host erectsoftinc.com as well. It'll be a while in the making but, in the meantime, you can get to the erectsoft material here.

This is where you go to contribute your own story of madness and mayhem about the courseware industry ... to be used in NotAPixelOfSanity. You don't have to be a great writer (I'll edit for you), and you can use a name just as fake as a one day old Gantt chart.

C'mon, get it off your chest, send me your most absurd project, your most ridiculous meeting, your most insane process. Send me your complaints and sob stories, your most wicked grin, your saddest tale. Share the pain. It's a healing thing.

Or something like that.

BTW, click here to read the book so far (in PDF format).