2009 – Page 15 – Matthew Dicks

No neck

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 9, 2009
Post category:Autobiography Words

One of my less pleasing attributes is the absence of a neck. My head sits atop my shoulders. I once had a conversation with a coworker that went like this:…

Book of the Month

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 8, 2009
Post category:SOMETHING MISSING Items

A friend of mine, a Book of the Month Club member, sent me the pages from last month’s magazine that included Something Missing. I’m in the middle of reading Pride…

Short story conundrum

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 7, 2009
Post category:The Writing Process

In college, I wrote many short stories. Most are not well written, but I have a couple that are good and one that I like very much. I’ve been thinking…

Busy!

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 7, 2009
Post category:CHICKEN SHACK The Writing Process

I’m debating over the multiple careers of protagonist Wyatt Mason in The Chicken Shack. Wyatt, owner of The Chicken Shack, is a part-time English teacher at a local community college,…

Axis of evil in my baby book

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 6, 2009
Post category:Autobiography

I recently spent some time flipping through my baby book. It’s been quite enlightening. The best part about the baby book is that it was written by my mother, who…

Sometimes a book can speak directly to your heart

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 5, 2009
Post category:Uncategorized

Stephen King, in On Writing, writes: "If you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second to least of your concerns. The least of all: Polite society…

Cursive writing: Expendable?

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 5, 2009
Post category:The Writing Process

I haven’t used cursive in years. Even my signature can hardly be called cursive. It’s more of an indecipherable scrawl. Other than the years I spent instructing my students in…

Great speech. Lousy bedside manner.

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 4, 2009
Post category:Recommended Reading/Viewing

The late William Safire drafted a speech for President Nixon to read in case the Apollo 11 Astronauts became stranded on the moon. It’s a great speech. Truly great. But…

How does anyone keep with with this magazine?

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 3, 2009
Post category:Magazines/Newspapers

The New Yorker offered me a 250% discount on a year's subscription, citing me as a "professional." Having ideas for stories I would like to publish in the magazine someday…

Credit to the copyeditor

Post author:Matthew Dicks
Post published:October 2, 2009
Post category:SOMETHING MISSING Items The Writing Process UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO related

Unexpectedly, Milo has entered the copyediting stage of production, in which some clever editor with a keen understanding of the English language, an outstanding eye for detail, and an unbiased…