June 2008
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Daddy’s Home
Yesterday was Father’s Day and BET celebrated it by running a special called “Daddy’s Home.” The show focused on four rappers Jeulz Santana, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi (from Oukast), and The Game. The special program allowed us to see a glimpse of the family lives of these famous artists. These fathers were amazing and one […]
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Commercials Ruin the Song
Why is it that TV commercials rarely use original music anymore? I know that at one point in time this was standard practice. Original themes and jingles used to be created for every product on the air. It seemed like everything had its own song. Nowadays products seem to hijack songs that have been pre-recorded. […]
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What About Editing?
Stories are edited. Things make sense in a story. Everything is there for a reason. Any writers’ course will tell you that. In a good story, there should be no extraneous details. We don’t need to hear characters having the usually pleasantries like, “Hey’ how’s it going?” or “What are you doing? – Nothing.” We […]
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Survived by Stuff
“Survived by Stuff” is the name of my new short story. It’s the first short story that I have written since I started my five-year mission to get published. In some ways I found it harder to write than a novel. I think I prefer to work in long form. I thought it would be […]
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Use of Colourful Language
What language is appropriate? And in what place and time? It seems like the unwritten laws of acceptability change all the time. Is it okay to say “damn” now? Can you say “hell” or do you have to use the less offensive “heck?” And is a euphemism actually any better than the word you substituted? […]
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Ready to Die
Now I will probably throw quite a few people off with this declaration but it needs to be taken in context. So please reserve judgement until you have read the entire post. Thank you. When I was a teenager I remember that I used to write some pretty dark poetry. I was convinced that I […]
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Stealing Lines
I swear, if I hear one more rap artist stealing the line, “Cash Rules Everything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M. Get the money,” I am going to scream. Now this is in now way disrespectful to the Wu-Tang Clan. “Cream” is a brilliant song and that is probably why it is quoted so much in other songs. […]
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The Ultimate Question
People have struggled with the ultimate question since the beginning of time. We seem to be constantly striving for a reason or purpose to our existence. It’s a mystery and everyone loves to explore a good mystery. I think one author had a great take on this topic. Once again, I am holding up a […]
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No Time to Contemplate
When I go to a movie, I like sit for a moment when it is done. I watch the credits and listen to the music and just enjoy the moment. I notice that not a lot of people do this. I often wonder why. Where are these people rushing off to so quickly? I often […]
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Energy in a Can
I saw a kid the other day downing one of those energy drinks. I told him that he should not be drinking those things. I gave him all the reasons why. I even pointed to the small print that read, “This product is not for children.” The boy shrugged his shoulders and said, “I drink […]