Green Spot Blue is a great literary/arts/entertainment/parenting/overall awesome Web site I have been writing for for over a year now.
They also published my novel A Jane Austen Daydream online as a serial over the course of last year. Today, they joined the effort to help me collect quotes from readers of the book in my effort to find a publisher or agent. You can read what they have to say here.
They say that being a parent is all about making sacrifices. I had already understood that but I never thought it was something concrete, I thought it would mean I was like The Giving Tree, but in spirit … But because my son is four, and he is the right age for it, I’m about to make another sacrifice, one to hang on the wall of parenthood next to my broken DVD of the first The Pirates of the Caribbean and the torn cover of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles.
I am going to take him to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on Imax, 3D in February.
Godfather 3 is far too over quoted by people, but seriously, I was out! Lucas and his mad skills at getting to my checkbook has pulled me back in.
Now I grew up with Star Wars (the first movie came out when I was three which was the perfect age for warping my little mind), but after all of his changes to the original trilogy he had lost me. I was free! I didn’t buy the last set of DVDs, I didn’t buy the Blu-Rays. Oh, I held them in the store, but more to study the ugly cover art on the front (and really it is bad). (more…)
Whenever a newbie writer has had the misfortune (if that is the right word) to ask for my advice, I will always say the same two things:
1. Enter as many writing contests as possible. It will build up your resume, give you free opinion from someone who isn’t family or a friend if you are actually good or not, and you never know who a judge might be (For example, my radio series, The Dante Experience, was produced and directed by a judge of a radio script competition I entered).
2. Try to get an agent. An agent’s job is to find you a publisher and help you succeed. They have contacts you don’t have. You need them.
The problem is with number 2; while it is right to say it, it does always leave a little bad taste in my mouth since my experience with working with agents has been lackluster at best. So far I’ve had four agents. (more…)
While it is not surprising I have written an editorial on The Beatles and parenting for Green Spot Blue, it IS surprising that it took me a year to get around to doing it.
Here is the beginning of my article:
John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Your Children
When you think of The Beatles today, it’s hard not to get lost in the image of the innocent and sweetly sarcastic four moptops running around while “Can’t Buy Me Love” plays loudly. Yet, The Beatles were more than that; they probably were the most important artists to come out of the last century. In only ten years, they created a wealth of music and cultural influence that is still impacting and inspiring people today… Basically, I am not saying anything here we haven’t read or heard before since their break up almost forty years ago. (more…)
I’ve collected all of the editorials and articles I have written for Green Spot Blue in one location. They can now be found here on my blog: https://sdsouthard.wordpress.com/articles-on-greenspotblue-com/
And via the links, you can learn:
* How Indiana Jones can make all of us feel old (Its not the years, its the mileage).
* Why Sesame Street needs to be saved from celebrities (and how it can be done).
* The many, many, many problems with Thomas the Tank Engine.
* Another series of reasons why the Star Wars prequels suck (because we need more reasons, right?).
* How an agnostic celebrates Christmas… and explains death!
Sounds fun? All those and way too many articles about super heroes. Check it out!
I have a new article up at Green Spot Blue. This time I talk about the movie Thor and Kenneth Branagh.
You can check it out here.
With A Jane Austen Daydream about to be released in installments by Green Spot Blue (the Introduction comes out on March 17), I did some changes to the blog. There is a new page just for A Jane Austen Daydream (tab above). While the main page will update with a link each time a new chapter is released, this page will contain links to all of the sections previously released for your reading pleasure.
So if you get behind in the reading or wish to wait and read when there is more than a bit available, this will be the page for you.
I hope you enjoy the book.
The Stories of Scott D. Southard 