I am definitely not primarily a fiction writer. Very likely that shows :-)

Most of my writing is discursive in nature, such as you see at the alternate patriot, a progressive political blog.

Sometimes I write on moral questions as well; for example, see responsible for the ocean? which, despite its title, is not an environmental discussion, but rather an essay on moral responsibility. One could of course apply these principles to environmental issues; one mark of a fundamentalist is that he does not apply many (if any) moral principles to himself -- only to others. Thus, while some issues parade as religious/moral ones, they really deal with power games, and so are quite apt for my political blog.

Another essay on abuse of power related to the Catholic priests' sex abuse scandal.

Another reason to stop here is to avoid the attention of the chalky-fingered grammarians who are liable to get all strunk and feather-dustered about the way I like to play with words. I've had a really good day and I'd hate to have to spoil it by telling someone their pedanticoat is showing.
-Journal of a writing man

" to get all strunk and feather-dustered..." The first part is clearly a reference to Strunk and White's (or possibly the original Strunk alone) Elements of Style, a book on writing, a good and useful book that promotes forcefulness and directness, not the fussy correctness implied by the phrase "chalky-fingered grammarians."( a metaphor that works) The portion "feather-dusted" leaves me blank. Metaphors shouldnt leave readers wondering. It is not an indication of reader inferiority when the metaphor doesn't work.

That little critique out of the way, I must say this journal has a lot of good bits and is worth a read.

* symbols The reason religion seems so appropriate a repository of dreams compared to, for example, a used car lot, is only because religions have been practicing longer. The crude methods of the used car salesman, the appearance of chrome and freshly washed metal icons, flags, balloons, cannot compare with the sophisticated, "uptown" presentation of a modern church. In a Western church you see actual images of deities, some frozen in advanced stages of suffering. Compared to this, a vintage Mustang, a classic Ford Coupe, mere metal and oil, cannot compete.
Paul Lutus, Apple programmer and author of the free html editor Arachnophilia

Louisa Drumond thinks again about Cheryl, days after the woman had made a pleasant remark as she walked past the house. Cheryl had a warmth that Louisa liked, a desire to please that... well, that pleased her. It was not often that people showed any consideration for Louisa. Yes, Cheryl seemed very considerate.

She had seen her walking past the house once or twice before -- Cheryl had not been a complete stranger when she invited her onto the porch and talked to her and showed her the photograph, the one that seems like a window to her soul. She does not often share that photo.

Louisa thought it would be nice to get to know Cheryl better. Being in her early 60s and with no family nearby, Louisa often wished she had more friends, people she could count on in a pinch. She imagined Cheryl was such a person. She wasn't the sort to sigh with exasperation or stammer excuses when called upon for a little favor, Louisa was fairly sure. She resolved to sit out on the porch more often, to bring some of her tasks outside, such as writing the monthly letter to her niece in Minneapolis. She figured Cheryl, being approximately 37 (Louisa guessed) and possessed of considerable energy, would be glad to help out a friend when called upon.

Louisa drifted off into a picture of Cheryl helping her clean her high up cupboards, and Louisa fixing her a nice lunch in return and the two of them sitting and gabbing companionably until Louisa insisted she had work to do and best get to it, and Cheryl reluctantly getting up, insisting on washing up the lunch dishes, then -- reluctantly, Louisa felt-- taking her leave. It would be nice, very nice, to have such a friend.

Pamela

Your first name of Pamela has made you happiest when you are expressing in some creative, artistic way, and not conforming to strict routine. In a large group of comparative strangers, you are quiet and rather shy, unable to express yourself, not really wanting to become involved in conversation.

On the other hand, among friends with whom you feel at ease, you are expressive, witty, and quite charming. These contrasting natures make it difficult for people to understand you and can lead to friction in your personal life. You are deep, philosophical, and refined, but your extremely sensitive nature causes you to become depressed and self-pitying over any real or imagined slight. If you are not careful, people take advantage of your generous nature.

You find the beauties of nature, fine music, art, and literature--all the deeper things of life--inspiring. The reserved, sensitive side of your nature brings aloneness and friction into your life, although you crave affection and understanding. You must guard against emotional excesses, which could result in depletion of energy, creating a desire for quick-energy foods.

You could suffer through skin irritations, blood conditions, back trouble, and later, through arthritis. Heart, lung, or bronchial weaknesses could also result.

: : s c o t t i c u s : : ... this site (and all my others) exsist because i am constanly bored. i sell ice cream and go to school from time to time. other than that, i try to amuse myself in anyway i can...

How can anyone with half a brain be "constantly bored?" This author has an attractive, although difficult to read blog (is it the font or the fact that its light on dark?) Back to he bored thing... Technology is a means not an end, and is not enough in itself. Liberal arts should be required.

This man is not bored, he's empty. He lacks purpose. He's bankrupt. How sad.

[Go back to how it was for the introduction of these characters]

Louisa, usually inside herself and not very observant, ruminated on Cheryl after the woman left her porch and walked on down the street:

Cheryl is tall - about 5' 9" - and slender, no, rangy in build. Her hair is shoulder length and shiny, medium brown and smells of shampoo. A hint of cigarette smoke lingers in the old gray cardigan she wore over her navy blue teeshirt and jeans. Her voice is husky, either from cheering too many football games, from singing while drunk, or from smoking every day.

Who still smokes in this country? Louisa wonders. Must be football games.

number popularity tells us something about ourselves. That's what these fellas claim. There's a pattern to our number preferences. Probably has something to do with bilateral symmetry.

The Never-Ending Story It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

Thus begins the Never-ending Story, and it continues on with entries from around the world, some thrilling, some macabre, some hilarious. See what you can add...

Rhetorical Figures Synecdoche: understanding one thing with another; the use of a part for the whole, or the whole for the part. (A form of metonymy}
"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6

The list of rhetorical figures (of speech) is fascinating. Some of them I am familiar with, such as Onomatopoeia, Simile and Metaphor, Irony and a few others. New to me are Chiasmus, apostrophe (not the word, but the concept), Litotes (not the concept, but the word) and a few more. Examples are given, which for me is essential to understanding the concept; alas, many of the eamples are in Latin. While it's nice to know Romans did the same thing, the exmples do not enlighten me to the meaning of the term, epecially the ones involving word order, since I am pretty shaky on Latin word order anyway.