On Writing by Stephen King

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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen KingA friend recommended On Writing by Stephen King after I shared my challenge with plotting out the rest of my first book. Though I never read any of his books, I know he must be pretty good to keep his readers asking for more.

He shared two things that surprised me the most.

He is a slow reader

Since English is not my first language, I’ve always thought being a slow reader is one of the main reason why I may not ever be a good writer. I guess he just kicked the crutch I’ve been using to drag myself down.

He reads for the fun

Almost all the writing books tell me to “study” other books for the plot structures or the writing techniques. Something I could never do. If the book is good, I just want to read it, If the book is uninteresting, I’d stop to save myself time for work or another book. It’s good to know Stephen King, a great writer, reads for fun, too.

Some reviewers of this book did not like that Stephen spent good part of the book on his life journey to be the writer he is today, instead of going straight into the how-to-write part. I thought it is good to remind people to look further back than his successful career.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore

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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin SloanMr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan has made my list of books I’ll always remember. As a person who believes nothing happen by accident, this is “the right book exactly, at exactly the right time”.

The Right Book

As if Robin had written this book for me. I went to art school; I do graphic and web design; I hack code to appease the Google engine god; I love old books; I admire type designers; I live in harmony with the old and the new.

Clay, the hero, bumped into his new job at a mysterious bookstore. I mysterious fell into the writing world, which requires me to read a lot, which led me to this book.

The Right Time

Just when I question if there is a place for my current project, a sci-fi, fantasy, clean story set in the near future, this book landed in my hands.

This is the prefect example of a writer putting everything he ever learned into his writing and fusing only the necessary elements to create an enchanted world. A fest I hope to conquer as well.

To Robin

It’s incredible how you managed to weave an old fashion quest in with the technologies of today. And it felt like that is the way it’s suppose to be all along.

I’ll always remember Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore because with a few more brain cells and a few less years, I might have been the night clark at the tall and narrow bookstore.

A Writer in Big Trouble

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I’m in big trouble.

As I work on my plot,
I sense the story feels flat.

This morning,
I realized I am in big trouble.

I can’t stand seeing my heros in pain,
as if I’ll be in pain as well.

But in the end,
if my heros don’t suffer,
I, as a writer, will.

Hyphen Needed?

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Other than a word being forced apart by the right margin, I have no idea when to put a hyphen between words. Thanks to Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner, I now know the rules.

  • Use hyphen before the noun:
    – Gail is the blond-haired gal
  • No hyphen after the noun:
    – Gail is blond haired.
  • Alway hyphen:
    – self-, quasi-
  • No hyphen:
    – Make sense before a noun even when each is used on its own.
    – Marty is a happy healthy boy.

Reset Car Mirrors, Avoid Most Blind Spots

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mirror sight ranges diagram after adjustments provided by CarTalk.comHeard this on Car Talk and decided to try it. When done correctly, whenever a car behind you move out of your rear view mirror, you will see the car in one of your side mirrors.

At first, this new way of adjusting car mirrors is very distressing.

  • When the car shows up in your side mirror, it feels like it’s only inches away. It’s true that “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”.
  • You’ll see more actions in your side mirror.
  • Must adjust the habit of watching distant traffic in the side mirrors to the rear view mirror.

But after you get use to it, it’s pretty amazing. It feels like there are no blind spots at all. I do still turn my head when changing lanes, just to be safe.

Give it a try! Let me know if you have other useful hints to add for the adjustment period.

Dead Remote? Try This Fix

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The remote to my 12-year-old little stereo died. First looked online for a replacement but found something better.

I followed the tip from 1.800.Remote:
(If your remote has a switch please read the original instructions.)

  1. Remove all batteries
  2. Press each button one by one (at least once)
  3. Put batteries back

It works!

To be sure, I tried it after a few hours. It still works!

Saved lots of clams without adding electronic trash in the world.

A very good day!

Unsolicited Robocall

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Do Not Call RegistryGot a robocall (a recording) on my voicemail.

It thanked me for using their service (only in their imagination), then informed me with their toll free number and web address that I couldn’t decipher.

After a search online with that number, found out who they are easily-I wasn’t the only one.

FTC says these calls are made by companies who ignore the Do Not Call list and are most likely scammers.

In this video, FTC says to hang up the phone without doing anything the call suggested.

I opted to do the following:

Even if your number is not on the Do Not Call Registry you can file a complaint about a robocall.

That vs. Which

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Woe is I (3rd Edition) by Patricia T. O’ConnerBorrowed Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English (3rd Edition) by Patricia T. O’Conner from the library to see if I should get a copy for myself. Not five pages into the book, she solved one of the big mysteries in English for me.

Even for native English speakers, the choice between using that and which is often made by the “that sounds right” guideline. I’m all for using one’s instinct but when I put my pen to paper, that method doesn’t work.

According to Pat, this is how you know:

  • Use THAT when the clause carries the point of the sentence, otherwise use WHICH
  • “…[comma] THAT blah blah blah.”
    “…[comma] WHICH blah blah blah, …”