Author Archives: José Iriarte

Survivor Guilt, 2011 Edition

I’ve been seeing a lot of blog posts around talking about how 2011 was a terrible year, either for the blogger or for the world in general. I’m not so sure how terrible it was for the world–yeah, we saw … Continue reading

Posted in artist's life, bookish life, close to home | 4 Comments

More of a TBR Mountain than a TBR Pile

I have a confession to make: I’m a pathological collector of books. I buy ’em faster than I can read ’em. Especially if it’s on the discount rack–then if it seems at all interesting, into the basket it goes. Hey, … Continue reading

Posted in bookish life, books you might enjoy, lists | 10 Comments

Seriously, Shepherd Boy, What the Hell?

I got to know this song way better than I probably needed to while preparing for my Candlelight Procession experience last week, and was struck by a verse I’d never really noticed before: Said the shepherd boy to the mighty … Continue reading

Posted in fail, first world problems, music | 8 Comments

No Test Left Behind

Over the last couple weeks or so, many people in my circles were abuzz over this Washington Post article by Marion Brady relating the experience of a school board member who took a high-stakes test designed for high school students. … Continue reading

Posted in math, teaching | 5 Comments

Jack Frost roasting on an open fire, chestnuts nipping at your nose

There may be people out there who’ve had more cool experiences than I have, but I’ve definitely been pretty lucky in that regard. I’ve met a lot of awesome people and had a lot of unique adventures, and last week … Continue reading

Posted in artist's life, music | Leave a comment

Have you paid for your Wikipedia?

A few months ago I began using Write Or Die as a way to focus my concentration and boost my productivity. First I used it as a brainstorming tool, but in the last couple months, I’ve used it to draft … Continue reading

Posted in artist's life, assorted nerdom, writing | 2 Comments

On rejection: the artist’s constant companion

I found this awesome post by Chuck Wendig via Janet Reid’s blog: 25 Things Writers Should Know About Rejection In addition to being filled with excellent points, it’s funny as hell to boot. This is my favorite part: Rejections Are … Continue reading

Posted in link soup, writing | 1 Comment

My Current WIP

I’m not one of those people who can write 50,000 words in a month at the best of times. (Not yet, anyway.)  Still, while I did make a dent on a new manuscript last month, this is one of the … Continue reading

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I learned everything I know about critting from this guy

My wife’s put up a couple good posts on being part of a critique group and how to give and take crits this week that seem to be generating some good conversation, so I thought I’d share a snippet of … Continue reading

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On symbolism and author intent

The other day a friend asked what I thought of the way English teachers are always going on and on about symbolism. The whale symbolizes this; the letter symbolizes that; the snowman symbolizes this other thing. They’re just reading all … Continue reading

Posted in teaching, writing | Leave a comment