![[NO] CLUE](https://i0.wp.com/raynotbradbury.blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/cropped-My-project-1-2.png?fit=2560%2C1536&ssl=1)
It’s challenging to write a great police procedural; that’s why I decided to mix crime noir and thriller with a bit of humor and see where I’ll end up. My novel – Eyebrow Killer – is about a serial killer with a dark personality or, simply, a dangerous, clever, manipulative sociopath… I’m not sure if I have so much darkness...
Continue reading...Books
Susan Sontag and Celebrating Camp
By Clara Godwin-Suttie The concept of camp has long been regarded as famously undefinable, famously decadent, and famously gay, with a noticeable presence throughout history and contemporary times. Susan Sontag, a brilliant queer woman who understood sexuality and gender identity through a progressive perspective of celebration and creativity, wrote the seminal essay that is credited with defining camp and bringing it...
Continue reading...The Satirical World of Evelyn Waugh
If there’s one thing writers and readers love, it’s satire. Since the dawn of time, people have been laughing at each other, at society, at their leaders, and at their values. So it’s no surprise that this was going on in, arguably, the most chaotic and fast-paced century in recorded human history. Into this context enters Evelyn Waugh: the horny,...
Continue reading...Who is your hero?
The true hero of the novel or story is always the one who has the more exciting journey. What will really fix the life of that hero? What are their problems, and how is it affecting their days? Who is the most resistant to change in the book? These are the questions to ask yourself if you want to create...
Continue reading...This moment is as it should be – Malta
Six weeks in Malta… I’m usually starting my day at 8am with a 10 min walk around Piazza Tigne with my dogs; then I prepare breakfast and re-watching some old-fashioned crime tv shows (right now, it is Midsomer Murders with the Chief Inspector Barnaby). After that, I always go out for a coffee – I need a break, lol – with...
Continue reading...The Camusean absurdism vs. Sartrean existentialism
Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? What should give my life purpose or value? These are tough questions – ones you’ve likely confronted at one point or the other in the past. But don’t be mistaken; you’re not alone. Nearly every thinking person in history has faced the same philosophical quagmire. Questions about the meaning...
Continue reading...The Ultimate Guide to Absurdist Comedy
Absurdism is, in a philosophical sense, the idea that there are no gods, higher purpose, or order to things. At least, that’s what Wikipedia told me. With that in mind, it’s pretty easy to find humor in the mundane. For example, consider a rubber duck. Humans tend to be highly sociable but frequently feel self-conscious; hence the substitution of human...
Continue reading...Welcome to the truth: Dostoevsky
We used to believe that Dostoevsky had always been the beacon of Russian literature. How else could it be? He’s always belonged to the pantheon of great Russian writers: Tolstoy, Gogol, and Chekhov. Well, not everything is as it seems. Great recognition only came to Dostoyevsky and his books after a delay of a hundred years. However, the beginning of...
Continue reading...Writing Advice From Famous (Beautiful) Authors
I just finished reading the book, Beautiful Writers by Linda Sivertsen. She runs the Book Mama website and the Beautiful Writers Podcast. In the book, she shares her writing journey and sparks each page with remarkable and honest advice from famous authors we admire. As a young writer in Los Angeles, Linda Sivertsen was hungry to be more like her literary...
Continue reading...Forgotten Comedy Actors That Need to Make a Comeback
written by Laolu Ogundele What makes you laugh? Seriously, this is not a trick question… Okay, let’s narrow the question down. What kinds of films make you snicker, giggle, and guffaw? Whatever your answer is, do you know that it would likely be different if you lived 100 years ago? What if I told you that you’d probably be a...
Continue reading...The Funny, Crazy, and Cruel Absurdism of Fernando Arrabal
written by Laolu Ogundele Picture this: it’s Friday evening, and you’ve walked into a random street play featuring an unknown artist. You sit in one of the front rows as you prepare to enjoy a little light-hearted escapism after a busy week. But a few scenes into the play, you’re profoundly disturbed as you’re confronted with weird displays of torture,...
Continue reading...On Anger
Some days, we try to justify our momentary rage by finding the faults in others; other days, we believe that being angry should be permittable or even encouraged at the personal level. In fact, many people around us are convinced that the only way to control anger is to express our feelings in an assertive but non-aggressive way (simply to...
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