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THOMAS SULLIVAN: FROG SEX OR JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

By Thomas Sullivan, on June 16th, 2008

My mind went on a diet a while ago and already it’s lost nearly 1800 words. It started by eliminating all those empty adjectives and adverbs that just pile bulk on the body of my work without any real nutrition. Then it tossed out the interjections (pure comfort words – WOW! huh?). You’re allowed substitutions [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: STRIVING FOR IMPERFECTION

By Thomas Sullivan, on May 16th, 2008

I think it was the DragonBar that made me remember an early lesson in my writing career. And that happened because the carp ‘n’ tuna syndrome that beset my wrists after too many 18-hour marathons at the keyboard eventually led me to try voice activation software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking with its DragonBar is arguably the leader [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: PRIME BLOOPERS, THE GREATEST ROMANCE OF ALL TIME, AND THE SEEDS OF SLEEPING RAINBOWS

By Thomas Sullivan, on April 16th, 2008

When it comes to writing, every day is April Fools’ Day. The Muses — hobgoblins of the mind that they are — play their usual tricks 24/7/365. Clear your desk, your computer screen and your brain for them and they will clear out of town. Cut yourself off from pen and paper and they will [...]

Thomas Sullivan: SWALLOWING CHOCOLATE-CHIP FRISBEES, CHARLIE BROWN, & THE ONLY BUS OUT OF TOWN

By Thomas Sullivan, on March 16th, 2008

My mother liked to get things done and hated to impose on anyone. This may be why she never made it to the maternity ward and birthed me in the lobby of a hospital. It was the first of many surprise entrances through the wrong door at the wrong time of life that have dogged [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: XANADU AND WALLS OF MIST

By Thomas Sullivan, on February 16th, 2008

Stop me before I kill again.

I’m going to do it, yes, I am, I’m really going to do it. Going to write about another obscure topic so ephemeral that I don’t know if I can pull it off. You may have noticed that I shy away from the easy stuff – practical stuff with practical [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: FIVE SENSES PLUS OR “WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID, GOD?”

By Thomas Sullivan, on January 16th, 2008

My first word was “Boo!” and I’ve loved surprises ever since. I want to discover things. Refine that, I want to discover hidden things, things that have meaning. I want there to be more than five senses can take in. Five senses are standard issue. Most critters with fin, skin, fur or feathers have them, [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: DREAMING DREAMS YOU NEVER DARED TO DREAM BEFORE, THE X FACTOR, AND KEEPING THE FAITH

By Thomas Sullivan, on December 16th, 2007

Have you ever noticed that the outcomes to life’s most successful quests can’t really be foreseen in detail? If it’s an initiative that your heart is truly into, then whatever concept you have of success ahead of time, the outcome ends up exceeding it. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” But starting out all [...]

THOMAS SULLIVAN: STAGE 3 SUFFOCATION & THE GODS OF CHROME AND NEON

By Thomas Sullivan, on November 16th, 2007

There are people who can’t help but be different, and people who choose to be different, and people who live in fear of being different. If you’re a writer, that third category is a killer. In fact, it’s a killer for just about anything that isn’t sedentary, unimaginative or uninspiring.

I’m writing about ways of thinking, [...]

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