Changes and Such

It was brought to my attention that this blog was a little hard to read due to the white letters on a black background, which makes sense, so I changed the design and went with a template that's hopefully a little easier on the eyes.

Also, I removed the picture, not because someone said they didn't like it but because I didn't like it. I read somewhere that books with weather should be avoided, and that picture has been troubling me since I uploaded it. Actually, I read it in a very entertaining and informative article: "Ten Rules for Writing Fiction," which can be found here.

My favorite bits of advice from the article include:

"Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said' ... he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances 'full of rape and adverbs'." Elmore Leonard

"Don't write in public places. In the early 1990s I went to live in Paris. The usual writerly reasons: back then, if you were caught writing in a pub in England, you could get your head kicked in, whereas in Paris, dans les cafés . . . Since then I've developed an aversion to writing in public. I now think it should be done only in private, like any other lavatorial activity." Geoff Dyer

Funny enough, I've never read either writer. I should pick up some of their work.