Author Archives: sputterpub

Nostalgia

Posted on August 2, 2011 by sputterpub

Charles once conjectured that I’m the only person he knows who had a happy enough childhood that I can afford to remember how unhappy it was. As often as we walked when we were young, one would have thought us … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Leave a comment

TSA

Posted on August 1, 2011 by sputterpub

I had to pass through security at SFO on July 14. I was a little concerned about the two water pistols I was packing – sure they were bright plastic, obvious, empty, and bearing their “for ages 4+” labels, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons | Leave a comment

Reception

Posted on July 29, 2011 by sputterpub

For 50 years I drove myself to get a spouse and raise my kids and earn my keep and exercise and write. That’s when I set my course: I lost no time – I traded sleep if necessary to attain … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Poetry | Leave a comment

Fair Market Value

Posted on July 28, 2011 by sputterpub

“The only place the word fair appears in the Internal Revenue Code,” Al intoned, is “immediately before the phrase market value.” Al has since retired, but I’ll never forget his words. He was responding to some complaint I voiced about … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Money Stuff | Leave a comment

Eeps

Posted on July 27, 2011 by sputterpub

Recently I got into “eep” words. It started with keep, and moved on to creep, sweep, weep, peep, and steep. They all come from Middle English words which developed from Old English. Most of the Middle English words rhymed too … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Leave a comment

Characters

Posted on July 26, 2011 by sputterpub

It’s been said before and today it’s my turn. When you create fictional characters, they’re likely to make decisions and proceed in directions you didn’t anticipate when you started them. It isn’t that they act perversely – rather, you didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Poetry, Writing | Leave a comment

Snubbin’ Cousins

Posted on July 25, 2011 by sputterpub

If you go back just a few generations in anybody’s family, the tree widens. Folks tended to have more babies last century, and even if fewer (percentage-wise) survived to adulthood, enough made it that everyone had cousins, and many came … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons | Leave a comment

Reveille

Posted on July 22, 2011 by sputterpub

I started this sonnet in 1998, saw it published in the online zine Cyclamens & Swords last August, and have just dallied with edits and played with line breaks, for here. I don’t know what breed of bird it was, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Poetry | Leave a comment

The Truth about the Tortoise and the Hare

Posted on July 21, 2011 by sputterpub

It’s a great fable and it made a cute cartoon. But is it honest? We all get it: that to win the race one should stay focused and avoid cockiness. But under what circumstances, really, would the tortoise win? Clearly this … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Question | Leave a comment

Blasphemers and Heretics

Posted on July 20, 2011 by sputterpub

Well it just goes to show you. A few weeks ago I thought it might be fun to look up blaspheme. And before I did that I knew I’d also have to check out heretic. But I expected blaspheme to … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Leave a comment