“I’ll get to work–just as soon as I put in that load of laundry. What? My New Yorker came? I’ll speed read the cartoons, then get back to my laptop. . . . That article was great. How does he … Continue reading She Talks Mostly to Herself
The third Malevir novel may never materialize if I do not find a way to make its dynamics authentic, underlying forces based on relatable or common experience. I do know I am happier writing short story/novella-length work, which compels me to define a story quickly, tightly, and richly. With authenticity. A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. Continue reading A Day Without Sunshine
Nan was what some call “a good soul.” Conversations with Nan were like an interview with Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised on Mars by Martians who came to Earth and changed the course of humanity: Nan grokked. She always listened intently to her partner in conversation and seemed to understand immediately and intuitively the other person’s point of view. The term “grok” and the character Smith come from Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 work Stranger in a Strange Land, a novel I read in that decade and never forgot. In the 1980’s, Nan and I became friends when we both … Continue reading Nan
You found a pearl in your oyster, a variety of experience as expressed at its core, through language. Continue reading The World is My Oyster
Although COVID-19 is surging within the younger population in my area–those who gather in crowds without wearing a mask at bars, restaurants, and on the lakeshore–most people I pass on the street are abiding by the city’s request to social-distance and wear some sort of face shield. My character, Gerty, has chosen to be socially responsible, too, and I have drawn her in a series of situations as the pandemic has been advancing. The cat, who is Greek and has taken the name μαυρο, comforts Gerty who spends most of her day at home with her art. She often must … Continue reading Cartoons -Moping, Masks, and Musings
While I am working on my novella, Only Regrets, I’m spending hours at my work table, too, and, these days, I am drawing on the monsters that play behind my eyelids. These odd creatures often express my frustration or dismay … Continue reading Cartoons with Fangs, Nails, or Nothing Much
[Lustredust, an illustration I created for my last novel, is this post’s featured image.] While working out the shocking and unexpected turning point of my story, “Only Regrets,” my worktable beckoned me again, this time with an invitation to draw … Continue reading Cartoons with Wings
My fingertips grazed the keyboard without effect. Stuck at my short story’s critical point, I needed to escape the laptop shaming my writer’s block. Near my desk, a raft of new drawing supplies sat in a fresh arrangement of cans … Continue reading Cartoons, Sketches, Drawings – 2
My fingertips grazed the keyboard without effect. Stuck at my short story’s critical point, I needed to escape the laptop shaming my writer’s block. Near my desk, a raft of new drawing supplies sat in a fresh arrangement of cans … Continue reading Cartoons, Sketches, Drawings – 2
Susan Bass Marcus Writes 