It’s that time of year again – nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month. Thousands of people are devoting the entire month of November to writing 50,000-word novels. I don’t actually have a plan this year, or even an idea of what my novel will be about. I’m just going to
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mark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: The rush of heaven downward
I wrote this in 2003, and it was originally published in Flash Me magazine that year. It also appears in my collection, Pirate Therapy and Other Cures, and is probably the only serious story in the book. I thought it … Continue reading →
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: Oh look! It’s happened again!
I’m delighted to be at the top of the list, perhaps it’s random, of 16 Five Star Rated AIDS Information Sites & Blogs – and I’ve found a few fellow travelers in the process!
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: AccolAIDS much appreciated!
Healthline editors recently published the final list of their favorite HIV & STD blogs and I’m pleased to let you know that this blog made the list, which can be found here (in no particular order). I am very appreciative of this vote of confidence! Kenn Chaplin is no defeatist;
Continue readingcultural sn:afu: According to Walt Wawra the world is a place in need of infinitely more guns
If you were still wondering about the differences between Canada and the US, in terms of gun culture and other stuff, this might explain a few things… According to his letter to the Calgary Herald, Walt Wawra, a Michigan police … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Chthonic Monsters — Theseus Becomes King
This is the final part of Chthonic Monsters. Part one, Theseus Goes to Crete, is here, and part two, Theseus Meets the Minotaur, is here. This is from a novel-in-progress, in which the characters tell one another many different stories. … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Chthonic Monsters — Theseus Meets the Minotaur
This is from a novel-in-progress, in which the characters tell one another many different stories, but I thought I would share here it here the blog. Alas, it it too long to put up in one post, so I’ll put … Continue reading →
Continue readingcultural sn:afu: My grandfather taught me how to build a dam instead of islands
When we were kids, and we were lucky, it would rain. And the parking area of my grandfather’s mountain farm would fill up with streams and rivulets. The farm house was in a small valley, near the top of one … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Chthonic Monsters — Theseus Goes to Crete
This is from a novel-in-progress, in which the characters tell one another many different stories, but I thought I would share one of those stories here the blog. Alas, it it too long to put up in one post, so … Continue reading →
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: Ashley Berges to link with My Journey with AIDS
Not one to scan this blog’s activity logs too often, much less understand them, I was quite chuffed to be contacted by Michelle Lamont, representative of Ashley Berges – author, life coach and radio host in Dallas. She/they apparently find me inspiring! That being Ashley’s stock-and-trade, we are in discussions
Continue readingknitnut.net: I need your advice
I’m thinking about applying to UBC to do a master’s degree in creative writing. I could do it part-time, through distance education. I’m feeling conflicted, though. Part of me says “If you want to write, just write. You don’t need a master’s degree. Just write.” That same part of me
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Is it worth it?
Sometimes writing seems like a lonely, pointless, and possibly self-destructive activity. I mean, I COULD be doing other things with my time. Then you get a review like this, and it all seems worthwhile: LOL! So many times I found … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Why doesn’t SF produce “big idea” books anymore?
“…today you don’t need to read SF to get a sense of wonder high: you can just browse “New Scientist”. We’re living in the frickin’ 21st century. Killer robot drones are assassinating people in the hills of Afghanistan. Our civilisation … Continue reading →
Continue readingcultural sn:afu: Maybe it’s time to kill the May Show
The May Show of today is a pale imitation of the May Show that was so successful through the 1980′s and the first half of the 90′s, so maybe it’s time to stop pretending and just let it die. The … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Feeding the Beast
This is a script for a piece I read on CBC Radio back in 2006. Feeding the Beast by Mark A. Rayner Hi, my name is Mark, and I am a writer with a problem. There is a monster eating … Continue reading →
Continue readingFusing and Musing: Poem of the day
image source Invictus Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody,
Continue readingcultural sn:afu: My daughter died while being delivered on Friday afternoon
Evangeline, my daughter, died while being delivered on Friday. My girlfriend’s water broke last Tuesday, while Evangeline was in her 22nd-week. The doctors and nurses at the Ottawa General did everything they could to keep Diane healthy, and Evangeline inside. … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Remembrances of Rabbits Past
Watership Down: A Reviewmory This was one of my childhood faves, and all of my friends had read it as well. So, you’d think a bunch of 12-year-old boys would find this a laughable premise, a book about rabbits. Au … Continue reading →
Continue readingcultural sn:afu: Pregnancy Update: What happens when her water breaks far too soon
Diane’s water broke, so she has been in the hospital since Tuesday, and won’t be released until the baby is born. The problem is she’s only 22-weeks into the pregnancy, which is far too early for a safe delivery. At … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Just as it should be
Alltop is damn funny. Twain silhouette via Hirsute History t-shirts.
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