Below is everything (newest at top) with "life OR health OR diet OR writing" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click here

AUTO REPAIR AND OTHER STUFF
from 2026 in ( culture / writing / blog )

I took my wife's car to Honest-1 Auto Repair in Spring Hill today. A warning light has been saying oil change required for a few months now, but she doesn't drive much. Works from home. Once the odometer finally reached the mileage suggested on the last oil change sticker, though, I scheduled an appointment for 8 AM today. ... read more

LINKS TO ENTIRE DOBIE POKORNY SAGA
from 2026 in ( culture / writing / novels )

williamarthurholmes.substack.com/p/links-to-the-entire-dobie-pokornyHere are the links to all five eBooks : Temporary Insanity, Operation Detour, Dobie's Dilemma, Lottery President and Another Way. And I've now got the printed versions listed on there, too. Go to dobi... read more

MUNDANE-IN-CHAOS: WHY TRIVIALITY WINS BIG LAUGHS
from 2025 in ( culture / writing / humor / advice )

Prompted and edited by Bill. How a can of Cheez Whiz became comedy geniusand how to use that rhythm in your own writing. The Blues Brothers' Cheez Whiz Masterclass In The Blues Brothers, after a madness-fueled... read more

A FREE LIBRARY OF CLASSIC BOOKS & NOVELS
from 2025 in ( culture / writing / books / novels )

Here's the link: AmericanLiterature.com20,000 Leagues Under the SeaAbigail Adams and Her TimesAbsalom's HairA Child's History of EnglandA Christmas CarolA Comic History of the United StatesA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court... read more

NERDY STUFF, TRAILER HITCHES AND SMALL TOWN MAYORS
from 2024 in ( culture / writing / blog / family )

It's been an interesting past several days. 1) My new 2-terabyte external drive went bad after I'd moved all of my music, pictures and videos to it from other drives; 2) Tara needed my help printing a PDF document, which is always exciting; 3) she also needed help at her mother's house to clean out/organize the garage; and 4... read more

GOING FOR A RIDE
from 2024 in ( culture / writing / travel / usa )

I went for one of my weekend drives. I almost said Sunday drive, but it was a Saturday. Anyway, I brought our dog, Cleo, with me this time. I never used to, but nowadays I take her almost everywhere because she and our newly adopted Yorkshire terrier, Lily, don't like each other. I'd been online just prior, looking at nearby hou... read more

BRAKES ARE IMPORTANT
from 2023 in ( culture / writing / blog )

I emailed this to my siblings, and the following conversation ensued... On Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 03:22:31 PM PST: Stumbled across this great new photo of our dog Stein attacking a strange man in the back yard of the Edison house Sent: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 3:33 PM yes, my att... read more

THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF MOVING TO NASHVILLE
from 2023 in ( culture / writing / blog / nashville )

/images/cities-nashville-reese-witherspoon-2785ee02796dc85b533d05647d4df16b-1024x780.webp Tom... read more

STILL MORE ADVICE FOR WRITERS
from 2023 in ( culture / writing / advice )

I came across this video last night and thought, Yes! Thank you! This guy (and Lee Child) share my disagreement with the saying, Show, Don't Tell. As Child puts it, You tell a story. You don't show a story. That saying might apply to visual story-telling such as film and TV, not so much the written word.Anyw... read more

FIRST DOCTOR'S VISIT IN YEARS
from 2022 in ( 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 if I needed a mask. I said sure, she gave me on... read more

ANOTHER WAY: BEYOND THE STATUS QUO
from 2022 in ( 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,... read more

INSPIRATION FOR MY NOVELS AND NOVELLAS
from 2022 in ( 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 Pr... read more

ELEMENTS OF A STORY
from 2021 in ( 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, SettingRead,... read more

INGREDIENTS OF A NOVEL
from 2021 in ( 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;... read more

FREEWRITE, THE DEVICE FOR DISTRACTION-FREE WRITING
from 2020 in ( culture / writing / tech )

Article wired.com/2016/02/freewrite/about it here , and the manufacturer's getfreewrite.com/website here . /images/freewrite-machine-13b7bae1550e166d4350a149edb2c6c2-1024x839.webp... read more

MORE ADVICE FOR WRITERS
from 2020 in ( culture / writing / advice )

People read fiction seeking clarity -- in the payoff at the end of the book -- so, one of the worst things a writer can do is to create confusion. People also read fiction for a taste of something better than their own reality. So, keep it clear and concise and, most importantly, interesting... without getting too implausible. It doesn't ... read more

THOUGHTS ON WRITING
from 2020 in ( 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 interview, If you're wondering where ... read more

BEST FICTION OF 2019
from 2020 in ( culture / writing / books / novels )

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood... wins this year's Best Fiction award for her long-... read more

BEST AND WORST SELF-PUBLISHING SITES
from 2019 in ( culture / writing / advice )

This is a good site showing who to trust (or not) when it comes to self-publishing: selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-service-reviews/Self-Publishing Services Rated by the Alliance of Independent Authors /pages/new-rules-for-writers/New Rules for Writers --... read more

MOST POPULAR SITE ON THE INTERNET
from 2019 in ( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )

This site is the 12,157,539th most popular website in the world, according to nibbler.silktide.com/silktide.com ! Wow! We have hit the big time. See image here: /images/friendsnews-nibbler-report-5b00fb13946ac479dcc7fe5e7b7e79d5-956x710.webp... read more

HOW TO SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE
from 2019 in ( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )

Please support this website, should you be so inclined: buy one of williamarthurholmes.com/my novels/novellas ; buy me a (virtual) cup of coffee ko-fi.com/holmeswahere or buymeacoffee.com/holmeswahere ; ... read more

HISTORY OF FRIENDSNEWS.COM
from 2019 in ( culture / writing / blog / friendsnews )

FYI for those researching insignificant corners of the web: web.archive.org/web/20060902062742/friendsnews.com/Wayback Machine Please support this website, should you be so inclined: buy one of williamarthurholmes.com/my novels/novellas ; b... read more

ALL OF MY BOOKS
from 2019 in ( culture / writing / books / novels )

Novels/NovellasFeatured book deals on Smashwords... read more

HOW TO MOVE A BOOK STORE
from 2018 in ( 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! upi.com/Odd-News/2018/10/30/Human-chain-helps-British-book-store-move-down-the-street/37815409350... read more

BEST THRILLERS OF ALL-TIME
from 2018 in ( 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 AND NOVELLAS
from 2018 in ( culture / writing / books / novels )

Did I mention I've written a few novels/novellas?Another Way: Beyond the Status QuoA politically-incorrect manifesto. Anti-corporate crusader Dobie Pokorny wants to save the world. His new boss, Colonel Charonne, wants to stop hi... read more

NOVELLAS AND NOVELS
from 2017 in ( culture / writing / books / novels )

Free novellaTemporary InsanityLong 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 he was ... read more

REQUIEM FOR A PIGEON
from 2014 in ( culture / writing / poetry / pigeons )

by Bill We 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 day We tried mouth-to-beakAnd the Heimlich techniqueBut the pigeon had croakedDid you know pigeons float?Well, t... read more

ADVICE FOR WRITING
from 2014 in ( 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 professor to student or from adult to child. It's n... read more

CRACKING UP OVER LOTTERY PRESIDENT
from 2013 in ( 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

A COUPLE OF BOOKS/NOVELLAS ON KINDLE
from 2012 in ( 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 adventure (... read more

RULES FOR WRITERS
from 2011 in ( culture / writing / advice )

huffpost.com/entry/new-rules-for-writersb808558Anis 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 quarters: ... read more

PEOPLE YOU'LL BE MISSING AND WHY
from 2008 in ( culture / writing / poetry )

by harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/author/jeanniewomack/Jeannie The 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 supervisor Stella who is always ... read more

A PRINCE IN DISGUISE
from 2008 in ( culture / writing / poetry )

by harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/author/jeanniewomack/Jeannie We 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 wifeA teacher, leader, rebel and yesA son, brother, father, the bestBoss ma... read more

A SAGA OF SEVEN
from 2008 in ( 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, not in the jai... read more

THE LEGEND OF CONAN
from 2005 in ( culture / writing / poetry )

(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 front to backA... read more

A DAY AT THE RACES
from 1998 in ( culture / writing / stories / horse-racing )

from 1994 The first Saturday in May. What does this date mean to you? Probably nothing, except that Spring has arrived, unless you live in California where it's been Spring for two months at least -- real Spring, not calendar Spring. Ask any horse racing buff, though, and they'll tell you the first Satu... read more

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