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Below is everything (newest at top) with "culture+writing+" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, REWORDED( culture / writing / poetry / humor )
The words are genius! Also the latest news from Arizona. https://jeffreyprather.com/watchlive/ Click on the first possible link, I think.... read more
FIRST DOCTOR'S VISIT IN YEARS( culture / writing / blog / health )
Yesterday, I had my first doctor's appointment in several years. Hey, I've been healthy. Shocking, I know. There was a sign on the outside door saying masks required, and a sign on the interior door saying the same thing. The receptionist was wearing a mask. I introduced myself. She asked i... read more
ANOTHER WAY: BEYOND THE STATUS QUO( culture / writing / books / novels )
Anti-corporate crusader Dobie Pokorny wants to save the world from corporate titans like Colonel Charonne. The latter and his henchmen are determined to stop him. On Dobie's speaking truth to power tour, he meets and falls in love with Kaylie while enduring attacks... read more
INSPIRATION FOR MY NOVELS AND NOVELLAS( culture / writing / books / novels )
I just put this together and thought I'd share it on this blog in addition to my writing platform. Lottery PresidentWanted to st... read more
ELEMENTS OF A STORY( culture / writing / advice )
They say... What are the main ELEMENTS OF A STORY? Setting; Character; Plot; Conflict; Theme; Point-of-view; Tone; Style; ... but I would put them in order of importance: Character, Conflict, Plot, Point-of-view, Theme, Style, Tone, Setting... read more
THE FADED PAGE( culture / writing / books )
Books in the public domain. Free eBooks forever. FP now includes 6312 eBooks in its collection. fadedpage.com... read more
INGREDIENTS OF A NOVEL( culture / writing / advice )
VARIOUS WRITERS' RULES Write a draft. Then let it rest. -- Stephen King;Read a lot. -- King;Never use a long word when a short one will do. -- George Orwell;Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice. -- Orwell;Know and understand your audience. -- P... read more
RANDOM BOOK REVIEWS( culture / writing / books / reviews )
From Lionel, January 2013: I just finished reading "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour, a historical novel... read more
FEEDING HORSES IN THE RAIN( culture / writing / poetry )
Feeding horses in the rain is such a painThe horses trot by and splash mud in my eyeI toss all the flakesmissing puddles and small lakesThe wind picks up fast as blankets go on lastI make my way back Put away random tackTake off my muddy clothesWarm up my cold toesWatch them eat f... read more
LEE CHILD QUOTE( culture / writing / advice )
Don 't get it right, get it written! -- Lee Child... read more
FREEWRITE, THE DEVICE FOR DISTRACTION-FREE WRITING( culture / writing / tech )
Article about it here, and the manufacturer's website here. And one of their founders has an... read more
MORE ADVICE FOR WRITERS( culture / writing / advice )
People read fiction seeking clarity. One of the worst things a writer can do is to create confusion. I'm referring to the payoff at the end of the book. People also read fiction for something better than reality, or at least better than their own. So, keep it clear and concise and, most importan... read more
POLITICAL COMPASS TEST( culture / writing / politics )
Welcome! It's timely to stress that The Political Compass has been on the internet since 2001. The uniqueness of our take on politics is reflected in the gratifyingly enthusiastic reviews we've enjoyed in the national media of many countries from our earliest years - as well as from many te... read more
THOUGHTS ON WRITING( culture / writing / advice )
Louis L'Amour once said he could write while sitting in the middle of the freeway. That didn't impress me at the time, but now it does.Not one, but two dogs threw up behind me as I wrote. Was that a commentary on my writing? Wouldn't be the first time.As I told these guys in the job inte... read more
THELAZYPUGCAFE.COM( culture / writing / books / novels )
My latest short story, based on our real life pugs Daisy, Chandler and Joey, the latter of whom is the only one still alive and barking. See amazon.com/dp/B085XM6QW8The Lazy Pug Cafe was a dilapidated old two-story farmhouse abandoned years ago, lately serving as a sad b... read more
REVIEW MY BOOKS( culture / writing / books / reviews )
If you've read any of my novels, please give them a review on Amazon (click the book's image, below or on the right, then click the "Write a Customer Review" button on its Amazon page, to the left), on Apple Books,... read more
GOOD ARTICLE ABOUT STORYTELLING( culture / writing / advice )
Pop culture today is obsessed with the battle between good and evil. Traditional folktales never were. What changed? the-good-guy-bad-guy-myth... read more
BEST FICTION OF 2019( culture / writing / books / novels )
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood... wins this year's Best Fiction a... read more
NO ANNOYING PROMPTS( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
Aren't you glad we don't have any of those annoying pop-up ads asking you to join our newsletter? Ironic, isn't it, given that we are an "online newsletter?"Please support this website, should you be so inclined: buy one of my novels/novellas; buy... read more
BEST AND WORST SELF-PUBLISHING SITES( culture / writing / advice )
Good site showing who to trust (or not) when it comes to self-publishing: self-publishing-service-reviews... read more
MOST POPULAR SITE ON THE INTERNET( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
This is the 12,157,539th most popular website in the world, according to silktide.com! Wow! We have hit the big time. See image here:... read more
SUPPORT THIS SITE( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
...should you be so inclined:Buy one of my books at Amazon or SmashWords, or here; buy me a (virtual) cup of... read more
HOW TO SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
Please support this website, should you be so inclined: buy one of my novels/novellas; buy me a (virtual) cup of coffee here or here;... read more
HISTORY OF FRIENDSNEWS.COM( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
FYI for those researching insignificant corners of the web: Wayback Machine Please support this website, should you be so inclined: buy one of my novels/novellas; buy me a (virtual)... read more
ALL OF MY BOOKS( culture / writing / books / novels )
See Novels/NovellasFeatured book deals on SmashwordsAno... read more
OPERATION DETOUR( culture / writing / books / novels )
Riva, a beautiful young "black ops" agent on her first assignment, tries to turn Alex into her own "asset" just to prove she can. When he loses both his job and his girlfriend, she thinks he's putty in her hands. When he decides to go out with a bang, she's afraid she'... read more
TEMPORARY INSANITY( culture / writing / books / novels )
Long before winning the lottery and running for president, Benny was living in L.A. working as a temporary word processor (typist). For his latest assignment, he thought he was taking just another temp job. He didn't anticipate Venelia and the Dynamos. The what?... read more
RECENTLY-DISCOVERED BOOK REPOSITORY( culture / writing / books )
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world. See Hathi Trust Digital Library... read more
HOW TO MOVE A BOOK STORE( culture / writing / books )
A rent increase forced the owners of October Books to move locations in Southampton. They used a crowd funding campaign and loans to buy a former bank location about 500 feet down the street for $400,000.Cool!... read more
BEST THRILLERS OF ALL-TIME( culture / writing / books / novels )
According to the Telegraph, anyway. An interesting list. Several if not most of these were that author's first published novel. I've actually read half of these, though it's been years.... read more
NOVELS/NOVELLAS( culture / writing / books / novels )
Did I mention I've written a few novels/novellas? Another Way: Beyond the Status Quo A politically-incorrect manifesto. Anti-corporate crusader Dobie Pokorny wants to save the world. His old boss, Colonel Charonne, wants to stop him. On his truth tour, Dobie meets and... read more
CATS DISRESPECTING PUGS( culture / writing / pets )
So, I'm lying on the bed with the pug Joey between my legs. No, that's not a figure of speech. I'm referring to an actual dog between my calves. Anyway, the cat (Sunny) comes up, thinks about jumping across my legs to the other side, then decides to just step on me, then step on Joey,... read more
NOVELLAS AND NOVELS( culture / writing / books / novels )
Free novellaTemporary Insanity Long before winning the lottery and running for president, Benny was living in L.A. working as a temporary word processor (glorified typist). For his latest assignment, he thought... read more
ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREAT ROCK ERA LYRICISTS( culture / music / writing )
Listening to Don Henley this morning. He is one of the all-time great lyricists/poets. Just thought I'd say so. Then... read more
WRITERS NEED FOLLOWERS?( culture / writing / advice )
Publishers and writing gurus preach that writers need followers. The problem is that emotionally-stable people don't want followers. They want friends, compatriots, people who listen, not followers. Especially zombie followers. They're the worst! :) But seriously, I don't trust anyone w... read more
LAST TRAIN OUT( culture / writing / books / novels )
Clay and his adopted daughter, Jenna, look forward to their upcoming "homeland tour" to Russia. His intentions are pure. Hers, not so much. When she goes missing, his worst fears are realized. She is not the innocent little girl he thought she was. Not even close.... read more
RECENT TWEETS( culture / writing / tweets )
Note: I am no longer on Twitter or Facebook. I remember when I didn't know what a "tweet" was, other than the sound a bird makes. It wasn't so long ago, either. Below is just a random list of tweets. Pathetic, I know, but I felt the need to put something new on the site. Anyway. S... read more
MY NOVELS( culture / writing / books / novels )
WilliamArthurHolmes.com Go to Another peek at my booksAnother Way: Beyond the Status Quo... read more
REQUIEM FOR A PIGEON( culture / writing / poetry )
by BillWe witnessed a pigeon's demiseRight here on the dock o' the BayThere was nothing we could doNothing we could sayIt just wasn't the pigeon's dayWe tried mouth-to-beakAnd the Heimlich techniqueBut the pigeon had croakedDid you know pigeons float?Well, this one sure did today!... read more
ADVICE FOR WRITING( culture / writing / advice )
A writer's narrative perspective (their "voice," or, how they come across to their reader) must be: This is me talking to you. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not: This is me 100 years ago speaking in a "classical" voice. It's not: Speaking as if from... read more
TWEETS PAGE( culture / writing / tweets )
Note: I am no longer on Twitter or Facebook, but here's what I've managed to salvage from back then. My Twitter feed: by TheBillHolmesSome of my better tweets, according to me ...Never wo... read more
HOW DOES WRITING AFFECT YOUR BRAIN?( culture / writing / health )
Interesting ... to me, anyway. Most of us write a little something everyday. It might be a grocery list, a poem, or a write-up on the infographic of the day. As we go through this daily ritual, however, we are probably not aware of the effects writing has on our brains. See... read more
STARTED A NEW STORY TODAY( culture / writing / books / novels )
I started writing a new story today. Can't say much about it except that it's pretty much sci-fi, though it might wander into religion and politics. So, yeah, it should offend just about everyone. Then I took a break and started cleaning. Did a load of dishes. Vacuumed and cleaned the office... read more
ABOUT MY BOOKS( culture / writing / books / novels )
williamarthurholmes.com... read more
CRACKING UP OVER LOTTERY PRESIDENT( culture / writing / books / novels )
Here's one of my brothers reading my book, Lottery President. He seems to be enjoying it. I swear I didn't pay him to do this. New book out! Here's my... read more
LOTTERY PRESIDENT( culture / writing / books / novels )
For most people, winning $300 million in the lottery would be enough. They would buy a big house, travel... read more
GUEST POSTING( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )
I've been following and listening to Jeff Goins's TribeWriters program, and he says an important aspect to successful blogging (at least as far as getting noticed) is to "guest post" on other people's blogs. Jeff is a great resource, by the way. So, if you want to post somethin... read more
I AM NOW A PUBLISHED AUTHOR( culture / writing / books / novels )
It's SELF-published, but still ... It's called "Lottery President."Hopefully, it's at least slightly entertaining. Tell a friend!Here... read more
BLOG CONTENT( culture / writing / blog / internet )
I'm as guilty as anyone about trying to add content to my blog just for the sake of content (because search engines look for and rate highly based on how "fresh" your blog's content is). But someone whose blog/newsletter I subscribe to has stooped to simply stating the obvious, may... read more
YOUR NOVEL BLUEPRINT( culture / writing / advice / novels )
Good article for writers. Writing a novel and building a house are pretty similar when you think about it. For instance, most builders or homeowners spend a lot of time dreaming...... read more
MY WRITER'S PLATFORM( culture / writing / books )
WilliamArthurHolmes.com is my "writer's platform," with a page showing where you can buy, preview and/or review all of my books. Or, just look below...... read more
FOOLING THEMSELVES( culture / writing / blog / politics )
The elites are adept at fooling themselves and too many others into thinking that they know best. The superiority they bestow upon themselves is a convenient justification for keeping us "commoners" in the dark, and themselves in power.... read more
A COUPLE OF BOOKS/NOVELLAS ON KINDLE( culture / writing / books / novels )
I've published a couple of books/novellas on Kindle recently: "Lottery President" is a political thriller; and "Operation Detour" is a darkly comedic adventu... read more
WRITING PAGE( culture / writing )
Writers on the subject of writingMy author's pageBooksJokes ... read more
NEW RULES FOR WRITERS( culture / writing / advice )
Anis Shivani: New Rules For Writers: Ignore Publicity, Shun Crowds, Refuse Recognition And More These "rules" totally go against every prescription for writing success you'll hear as a young new writer from all quar... read more
SCREENPLAY SUBMITTED( culture / writing / screenplays )
I submitted a screenplay to Scriptapalooza today. See scriptapalooza.com. The first deadline is Friday the 5th. The real deadline is April 15. I think first prize is $10,000, but the main thing is that real Hollywood industry people read all of the scripts, so maybe even if you don't... read more
MY FAMILY MEMBERS' BOOKS( culture / writing / books )
Scared to Life ...and Loving It!: One Man's Journey With Prostate Cancerby Kenneth J. Souza... read more
THAWING OUT( culture / writing / blog / weather )
Hopefully. It snowed a good 5-6 inches Friday in and around Nashville. It wasn't good snowman/snowball snow, though. Not in our neighborhood, anyway. It was too crusty because of the freezing rain that came after the snow. It made for great sledding, though, which Elizabeth and I spent several h... read more
POETRY BY FRIENDSNEWS MEMBERS PAGE( culture / writing / poetry )
A Prince in DisguiseA Saga of SevenHatsPeople you'll be missing an... read more
HATS, A POEM( culture / writing / poetry )
by Jeannie WomackJoseph wore many hats in his life,the first one was of son,next an officer, a Dutch Marine,that to him was fun;In Maastricht, in '49,he married his childhood love,now he was Tina's devot... read more
PEOPLE YOU'LL BE MISSING AND WHY( culture / writing / poetry )
by Jeannie WomackThe time has come for you to move on,but I'm sure you'll be missing us while you are gone;No more conversation with boss Catherine to really make you think,You'll miss your adventures with su... read more
A PRINCE IN DISGUISE( culture / writing / poetry )
by Jeannie WomackWe met on the race track in '72I couldn't resist his eyes, so blueWe soon fell in love and started a lifeIn '76 he made me his wife A teacher, leader, rebel and yesA son, brothe... read more
THE RUN( culture / writing / poetry )
Running in the rain isn't the pain a non-runner might think it would be I put on my jacket that has a hood, lace up my shoes, and stretching is good I open the door, expecting more as the rain comes sprinkling down My course is not planned yet, I'll try not to get my shoes wet I start out r... read more
A SAGA OF SEVEN( culture / writing / poetry )
This is a story in the style called rapthat'll surely encourage an afternoon napof a family of seven, their kids and their wivesand something regarding their travels and lives. Now first there was Greg, a Brooklyn-born lad;and then it was Lucy that Mom and Dad had.She was born at Sing Sing (no,... read more
BOOKS PAGE( culture / writing / books )
Vernon Coleman books... read more
THE LEGEND OF CONAN( culture / writing / poems )
(Irish Traditional)Once there was a kittenConan was his nameHe grew to nearly 20 poundsBut a kitten he remainedHe grew to be ferociousFeared throughout the landHush, my child and you shall hearThe legend of ConanA harder working kittenThe world has never seenHe'd guard the yard from... read more
A GIRL NAMED LUCY( culture / writing / poetry )
from 1990This is a story 'bout a girl named LucyOtherwise known as "The Rappin' Watusi"She lays down a beat that gets your toes tappin'If your toes get tired, let your fingers do the snappin'She says "Hey buddy, don't you be no square"If you can't find a... read more
A DAY AT THE RACES( culture / writing / stories / horseracing )
from 1994The first Saturday in May. What does this date mean to you? Probably nothing, except that Spring has finally arrived, unless you live in California where it's been Spring already for two months or more - real Spring, not calendar Spring. But ask any horse racing buff and they will tel... read more
