Stories and Paintings
Gordon Percival Fletcher folded his hands upon the thick, worn book in his lap and sighed. He looked around the empty room at the back of the library. Three empty chairs in a semicircle in front of him. Three was optimistic. There was a time when he needed to set out as many as... Continue Reading →
"Okay," said Mr Nately, nodding in thought. "Well, I assume you've been fighting your opposition on matters of policy—tax cuts, health care, immigration—all that sh**?" The prime minister nodded, taken aback somewhat at Mr Nately's flippancy. "Yeah," said Mr Nately. "Well you're wasting your time there. For the average Joe, one political party is as... Continue Reading →
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the first I have read of Mark Twain’s work, mainly because of a used car I bought fifteen years ago. I’ll explain. When I was much younger and slightly more naïve than I am now, I went to buy an automobile at a local car yard. The yard was... Continue Reading →
There are many rules when it comes to writing, and different authors favour different rules. Hemingway liked the effect of short sentences, Stephen King is big on ditching adverbs, and then there’s what seems to be Fyodor Dostoevsky’s rule of choice: punch the reader in the conscience. Well, old Fyodor is at it again in... Continue Reading →
Sherlock Holmes is a character that has been loved by readers ever since his introduction back in (check date before publishing). His eccentricity and genius have entertained millions, and have been translated to the stage and screen in many forms, including a recent, award-winning BBC television series starring Bernadette Chamberpot (I know that’s not right—check... Continue Reading →
Anatole leaned forward on the couch and coughed a hearty, phlegmy cough. He grunted at the dusty ray of sunlight that had entered uninvited through the divide in his dingy curtains. A mild hangover squeezed his head. His eyes settled on the coffee table, where from amid the mass of horse racing form guides and... Continue Reading →
Hemingway, Cervantes, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy. These are just a few authors’ names I find fun to say. Another is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous writer in the world, thanks largely to the 1998 biopic Shakespeare in Love. The movie was a genius publicity move, and one I’m looking to imitate to boost my... Continue Reading →
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic novel revolves around three brothers: Dmitri, Ivan and Alexei (a.k.a. Alyosha). Dmitri is romantic, impulsive and violent; Ivan is an intellectual who has rejected faith in God; and Alyosha is a kind but inexperienced young man who is preparing for life in a monastery. When their father is murdered Dmitri becomes the... Continue Reading →
