Mark Mellang

How Writers Write: George R.R. Martin

Hint: It has a lot to do with gardening... kinda

George R.R. Martin believes there are two types of writers - architects and gardeners. The architects have everything sorted out before they begin writing. The gardeners, on the other hand, just have an idea. They plant their idea, start writing, and wait to see what grows.

Here's the full quote from Martin:

I think . . .

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February 09, 2015

Lost Libraries: Alexandria

The First in the Lost Library Series

This is the first in a series of posts about history's lost libraries. And since it's the first, I figured why not start with the granddaddy of them all, the Library of Alexandria, one of the largest and most important libraries in the ancient world.

Like most famous landmarks that were destroyed thousands of years ago, our . . .

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February 04, 2015

Money, Money, Money

What Most Authors Won't Talk About

There may be more aspiring authors than aspiring anything elses. Most of these starry-eyed-yet-to-be-published authors (myself included) are clueless about the practical (i.e. money) side of writing.

This afternoon I stumbled upon two articles written by actual published authors about the their financial lives. In the first, Ann . . .

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January 29, 2015

100 Book Bucket List

Books to Read in Your Lifetime

The Book Editors at Amazon.com have compiled a list of 100 books to read during your lifetime, a bucket list of books, so to speak.

I've personally read only 21 of them. I felt a little embarrassed about that, but then I realized something. It's just their opinion. And besides, any list that includes The Hunger Games, Lemony . . .

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January 23, 2015

How Writers Write: Kazuo Ishiguro

How He Wrote "The Remains of the Day" In Four Weeks

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I'm a librarian and an avid reader. Whether at work or home, I'm surrounded by books. I read using my phone, tablet, computer, Kindle, and of course, actual books. I talk about books and recommend them to library patrons everyday. I buy books for the Library and myself.

Despite being such a huge part of my life, the . . .

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January 01, 2015

A Christmas Carol and Neil Gaiman

An Author Reads a Classic: Now & Then

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a holiday classic, no doubt. It's been told and retold countless times. Everyone from George C. Scott to Bill Murray to The Muppets have taken a crack at it. Hollywood has produced no less than 10 versions and who knows how many other adaptations have been created - everything from radio dramas to . . .

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December 23, 2014

Middle Earth History Explained

It's So Complicated, But Don't Worry, There's a Video

The third Hobbit Movie has been released, bringing an end to the second movie trilogy based on JRR Tolkien's granddaddy of all fantasy worlds - Middle Earth. Most everyone has at least heard of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If you haven't... well, you should stop reading right now and fix that.

Tolkien was Awesome

Perhaps . . .

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December 18, 2014

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