Blog

Salut!

For those who have ben following our posts recently, although they
have beenmore frequent, they have not as yet become, regular.
That will change, hopefully soon.

You will note, the new tab, ‘Open Mike’ has its first entry –
by a student from last semester’s Creative Writing II class.
Intriguing, clever – compact and lean. Well done.

Stay tuned – there will be additional works posted soon.

As to other business – the business of writing…or of writing tools.
In my teaching experience I am always surprised to learn how
little attention beginning writers pay to the range of availability of
writing platforms. Most default to Microsoft Word.
Always a great choice. But in most cases it seems it be used
like a writing pad.  Little, if any, attention is paid to the amazing
depth and scope – the robust tools within Word – that are 
available as a part of the package.

And, still and all – I have yet to find a better tool than Word
for commenting, critiquing. 

Nonetheless, as I myself developed my writing efforts
from poetry to  flash fiction – to short storiees and then to
novels (have written three thus far, each one being in excess
of 100,000 words) – at a certain point I was finding that Word
just wasn’t muscular enough. The efforts required to maintain
order and easy accessibility of research materials became tiresome.
So Scrivener became my tool of choice. And then Scapple. It is really 
important to understand exactly how committed Literature & Latte
(creators/publishers of both apps) is to the research, design and
development of  outstanding writing tools. And, all cross-platform.
For those unfamiliar, Scapple is a Godsend for those writers
who shift and shuffle time sequences around and about.
Almost completely intuitive, it isjust the very best app for what it does.

And, of course, Scrivener – what’s to say about it?
Without peer, really.

And so, you might want to subscribe to their newsletter.

newsletter@literatureandlatte.com

and their site is at: www.literatureandlatte.com

As an example, one of their regular podcasts is:

https://podcast.scrivenerapp.com/61

So – we will endeavour to refresh our messaging here –
hopefully you might discover some interesting things from
the world of writing.

1918

that was when Robert Ripley first birthed the idea.

Was it exactly the same, initially? No – originally titled, ‘Champs and Chumps’,
it focused on the world of sports. But it did not take long for the fire to catch –
ultimately it came to have 200 plus physical locations in many countries.

Why this? Why now?

It pertains to a fundamental principle of creative writing:

• a willing suspension of disbelief •

Do all stories contain such? No – but many do. Superman, Frankenstein,
Groundhog Day. Hundreds do.

Even a little-known, but charming story called ‘The Last Bookshop’
that tells about Mr Adler’s London establishment  that has a dragon as
a resident in the basement.

And we have also, today.

One Battle After Another

Project Hail Mary

Hamnet

Hamnet? Really?

Indeed. I won’t tell you of the various instances that embrace

• willing suspension of disbelief •

…. rather that it is one of the finest films I’ve seen in  a long time.

Jessie Buckley, as Agnes, is wonderfully powerful – mysterious, tantalizing,
sure of herself and her place in the world. Chloe Zhao, director – delivers
a masterpiece.

Not to many, or not to most – for it is far outside the brackets of car chases,
gratuitous violence. But Steven Speilberg, as a co-producer, makeshis values
and his presence known.

And so – Project Hail Mary – with Ryan Gosling, who, IMHO – is the only
actor who could have played the role as deliciously as he did. 

But, albeit couched in the legitimacy of proven star science,
it asks, almost from the outset, that one places their trust in only what they see –
what they are shown. The evidence on hand.  And, we do.
Won’t tell you if you haven’t yet seen it. But do yourselves a favour – see it in a theatre 
with as large a screen as possible.

I guarantee you one thing – if you do not exit the movie house,
somewhat floating on a cloud – somewhat suspended somewhere between faith 
and trust – you and I did not see the same movie.

And, yes – ‘One Battle After Another’. Hate to rain on people’s parades –
but this parade never really got out of the gate, never started.
Disconnected rambling, insensible silly actions and distorted personalities
of principal players – does not a movie make.

For any aspiring writers out there – do some research – do some reading…..

Google ‘willing suspension of disbelief’- enjoy, and learn.

always timely questions, no?

IMHO, yes-always.

Well, for one thing, the Winter ’26 semester is now officially finito.
Done – and as we head into the spring semester, it is with relief that I am able
to relish in the knowledge that I have decided to offer no courses –
only a lecture scheduled for June 5th on AI. Yup. AI. Really, it is intended to
provide a comprehensive overview and update of the state of AI – at that moment.

We are talking 9, 10 weeks into the future.

I can assure you, it will have changed dramatically again, in that brief window.

Over the course of this past 10 week semester, in working with both
Creative Writing Study Groups/courses, I encouraged the students to actively
undertake the writing assignments and submit same to me in advance of the following
class. Upon receipt of their submissions, in a Word document,  I copied all to the end of   
their work, and then proceeded to identify, mark-up and comment – and then return
their work to them.

In the following class, those who wished to, could read aloud via a ZOOM share screen,
so the class could see, firstly, their submitted work, then following that, we displayed
the next version with markups, changes, comments.

This turned out to be an extremely valuable teaching model……for all students. 
Moreover, as those who chose to do so, read their piece, it served to alleviate or
eliminate what is generally the normal, numbing paralysis that tends to make them
‘freeze up’ when they expose their work to others.

It is, after all, perfectly in keeping with a large part of the teaching mission I set for myself:

• to allow one to seek, to find, and to speak, their voice……

However, you can probably imagine the kind of time it takes to undertake such an effort.

But – you also need to know, how hugely appreciative they all were to such an exercise.

And for me – that made it all worthwhile.

In that process there was some remarkably good writing…… to the extent that I am now
exploring how I might create a ‘Writers Corner’ on this site wherein, with permission of course,
selected pieces will be displayed. 

And that, is a good thing, no? 

So – for now, that’s whussup and wutzNew

BTW – I write a couple of columns on substack. Currently I publish an episode of an ongoing fictional piece, The Thinn Man
which can be founf here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelxmoore/p/the-thinn-man-5ad?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

This car, is featured in this month’s issue, Chapter 12:

Thanks for listening

m><m

Yeah

                        AI
I believe, we all have come to know AI as standing for ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
Begs the question then, why would anyone want to place all their faith in something, a r t i f i c i a l ?
Beats me.

I think, a more apt meaning might be AdvancedIntelligence. That at least, implies something is moving

forward, is ahead of us.

Let’s all stop for a minute or two – ’cause really, for myself (I actually worked with, harnessed,  deployed AI
in my design work 30 years ago – ‘nuther story, but fact) And now, these days, there isn’t solely a bandwagon,
there’s this whole runaway cavalcade of bandwagons. On Monday ChatGPT5 was the cat’s pyjamas –
then on Tuesday it was (Google) Gemini – but, wait….Claude is the flavour of choice for many users – and today
….just today, there is a review in the internet press, about the most recent iteration of Microsoft Co-Pilot.
And, yet, of course there is Elephas, Anthropic, PRISM – and others.

So, surely – if anyone is reading this they must also be asking the question,

‘What is this BS? Who is this jack? He ain’t no computer scientist. BullPuckies!!!’

True ….true, dat.

I’m not. But you know in the pursuit of my Master’s degree (M.A.- Creative & Critical Writing), those of us in
the program at the University of Gloucestershire. became acutely aware of the supplementary benefits we
were receiving as a result of our studies. To learn how to become adept at critical writing, it required that we
become familiar with critical thinking.

Thus, it is that ability that allows me, now, to stand back sometimes, and realize that the box isn’t actually a box, perhaps –
it may well be a rectangle, rather than a cube.

Such determination is affected via perspective. Depending upon one’s POV, a rectangle, viewed at a certain angle,
may well present itself as a cube – and vice versa.

Okay – so let’s catch a breath here…..before I go any further I want to – no, I need to, tell you all about a thing
you should do – I’d like to say, must do – but each to their own, right?

What you should do, right now, today or tomorrow, is sign up at Acadia University for their certificate in

‘Introduction to AI Literacy’.

It is a free, non-credit course – takes about 3 hours – will result in a certificate. But what is really, really important
is that it will clear the clutter that today is flooding society – and it will give one, perspective.

Then, after that, borrow, buy – whatever – Michael Connolly’s most recent book, The Proving Ground.
And once read, come back to me – tell me how you then feel about AI.

See?

This website is all about writing – and AI can be a formidable and high value research tool, in any form of writing.
And remember this:  Chatbots – any Chatbot – cannot fact check their output, nor struggle with reasoning –
of any kind, which means they make many, many mistakes.

Additionally, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are AI that produce text in response, to text.

Not sure? Do a Google search for incidents wherein law firms used AI to perform research regarding case
law or legal rulings. See what you think when you review the facts of error.

Thanks, for listening

m><m

25

25 years ago, in the dusty town of Roanoke, Texas – I signed up with GoDaddy and registered michaelXmoore.com.
Why the ‘X’?

Simply because, only the week before, THE Michael Moore had registered his domain, in his name….

Can you imagine if I’d been about 8 days earlier? Life is strange, is it not? So, not to be (too) outdone, the ‘X’ was born – way before Elon Musk…..

….and in the mid-90’s, as I wrestled with AI in its infancy, I registered another domain name : : www.AIxyztems.com – (pronounced as EXISTems…)
maintained it for over 30 years and then recently modified it to be:  www.AIxyztemsDesign.online.

Go figure……

And so, again, apologies.

A dear old friend, now departed, had a wonderful expression about one’s everyday life, existence….he’d often say:

‘I’ve been going 150 km/hour, but I’m tied to the dock!’

Ever feel that way? I do – all too frequently.
It’s about , the simplest thing really – p r i o r i t i e s. Priorities and our ability to establish them, but more importantly, our ability to respect them.

Yet, have I not been busy? Oh yeah…..so busy. But is that an excuse? Nope – nor is it a reason, right?

So – tell ya what – gonna, more regular, share my bizzyness here with you……for example, for the last few years I have maintained three different substack columns…..
one is predominantly dedicated to writing short fiction stories in monthly instalments. The first one, Snow Job, was completed about a year ago….you can find it here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelxmoorewriter/p/a-somewhat-new-year?r=8vuso&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

It is followed by a work-in-progress, ‘The Thinn Man’ .

And ‘HEY!’ – you don’t got to pay anything to access my substack columns…..free to sign up, free to access – www.substack.com.

Some of my followers have chosen to be paid subscribers (bless ’em) but not promoted or necessary……

So – moving forward I hereby vow, to

move forward.

And I’m happy to hear from anyone worth an interest in writing……michael@michaelXmoore.com

quite approachable, I am.

Oh, by the way – I teach Creative writing – have done for some years –  so if you have questions about anything related thereto – don’t be shy

michael

In December, just past, Stu Liedtke, my brother-in-law – and my sitedesign guru for this site – and others, passed away suddenly.

As a result many changes are now occurring in respect to the management and structure of this site, and others.

Albeit I have been irresponsibly remiss in maintaining a regular posting here, I  promise I will
be more vigilant and will update the site on a monthly basis.

Thank you for your understanding

Time for a change – time to pay attention.

no excuses

At the very least, henceforth, there will be at least one update per month. As developments occur within my work and professional pursuits.

In that I lead Creative Writing lectures and programmes, significant time is devoted to my own writing pursuits.
To date I have completed three novels (Jim Steiner – Book 1, Jim Steiner – Book 2 / Princess and the Jake) and I am about 40% through my current
novel.

Moreover, as noted elsewhere, in May 2024 I released ‘Poetix & Prose’-  a collection of poetry and short stories.

These activities are noted here because, in my research activities, in courseware development – in personal/professional writing, I participate in a number of online platforms, forums, writing sites.

Some are:

• Open Arts Forum
• Deadlines For Writers
• Writing Matters Online
• PenPee

None of these require a paid membership but one must register to gain access.

Anyone seriously interested in writing, must – must, write.
There are two other really good writing apps for those who do not want to feel confined or constrained byusing Word or Scrivener.

Ulysses (MAC only). https://indieauthormagazine.com/ulysses-a-just-write-app-for-authors/

Day One – an excellent journaling app – allows you to set an ‘alarm’ popup to provoke you to write at the time set.
For a really good overview go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTfUrXCF3ZA

In future postings I will endeavour to showcase other sites, apps, programs, utilities.

are we talking dentistry here?

no, not really – although what is common is that both relate to and/or refer to one’s mouth.
As in ‘mouthing off’.

the definition : : to express your opinion,  especially loudly and in a way that shows no consideration or respect:

nope

not me

of course, if/when I have an opinion, that matters to me, then I will usually bring it forth.

okay? we got that out of the way?

good

so – tooth……the tooth also applied to paper. as in : :

WHAT IS A PAPER’S TOOTH?

Nobody wants to feel like a novice at their local art store, and unfamiliar terms are certainly one of the things that can make even the most seasoned artist feel like a beginner. Have you ever heard people discuss paper in terms of “teeth”? Well, a paper’s tooth describes the surface feel of paper. Generally, the more tooth a paper has, the rougher it feels. You could easily exchange the term for the words, “texture,” or “smoothness.” In general, charcoal artists prefer paper with a rougher texture, as the charcoal adheres better to unsmooth surfaces.

the forenoted is copied from : : www.NitramCharcoal.com

…and so, recently, in that I had the good fortune to publish my first lil’ book, ‘poetix + prose’ on Amazon, as it happens I had to sign/inscribe copies for purchasers. It occurred to me, that a way more personal ‘feeling’ inscription might be written with pen and ink, I turned to my collection of lovely fountain pens, which I had not had a reason to use in at least a decade – maybe two – maybe more. Because they were, each and every one, so very lovely looking, I had mounted them on a grasscloth background in a framed display box. I carefully removed a few and of course whatever ink there may been in their reservoirs was long dried out.

ponder – wonder – – think, on that – as I did. Consequently I hied myself to the only remaining store in Québec, to my knowledge, that still sold things like fountain pen refills, bottled inks, etcetera, and with the aid of a most patient young lady, Allison, we worked our way through all nine of my ‘antiques’. All of which, amazingly, she was able to find the appropriate ink cartridges for. Wahoo!

returned to my writers’ haven and began ‘test writing’ with each one.

And, guess what?

I found the feel, the catch of nib against grain of paper, the fluid flow of ink, to be so embracing, so comforting, that I promised myself to write, daily, from then on.
To write something, anything.

And then, quite coincidentally I stumbled across a post in Clipboard that highlighted this great company in Japan that specializes in, specialty papers. I was delighted! I didn’t rush to order any, because, quite honestly, they are quite too expensive for me – as an indulgence.
But maybe there are some amongst you who might, just maybe – want to check them out.
And then, of course, my creative fount sprung another vision on me – what about white ink on black paper. ‘Yowza!, I declared…..thus, it is:

Did I write this? No – I didn’t. But I will make a return visit soon to Papeterie Westmount to buy a bottle of white ink. And if so, in a future post, I will show, that, which I have writ.

ITO Bindery is that Japanese company. Check them out.

All of which, of course, brings me back to tooth.

If ever, any of you, harbor the urge, the desire, to do as I have done – to return to some degree, to an earlier time, find that old favourite pen of yours, rinse it in a small bowl of warm water and dishwasher liquid, get on thy mount and head to Westmount Stationery – call first to confirm that Allison is on shift.

Bonus! They do have a wide selection of papers, pads, writing paraphernalia……oh joy!

Go ahead – indulge yourselves

End up looking at the world, today, with a toothy grin!

à bientôt!

It is now finally, published and posted – both the ePub version and the paperback.

Available from www.Amazon.com

Although only published last month all reviews to date are
*****.  Five stars!

Available as an ePub (free for Kindle Unlimited customers) @ $3.33 or
in paperback at $8.49 USD.

• this has been a journey for me, both as a writer but also as a graphic designer
and as a seasoned business executive. As a writer, it has been
rewarding to work my way through the accumulation of
pieces, poems, short snippets of stories to arrive at ‘poetix & prose’
as being representative of my feelings, my thoughts.
I am humbled by the result, truly.

As a graphic designer with decades of experience under my belt,
the search for a cover design that was simple, elegant –
powerful – was all-consuming time-wise.
Believe it or not I reviewed and considered 600 fonts
before settling on my final choice.

And as a seasoned business executive, having been in the
role of senior design manager for many years, it has been both
a voyage of discovery but also one wherein the respect
I came to feel for Amazon KDP was, and is, off the charts.
The tools provided by KDP for the emerging writer are simply amazing –
and Amazon keeps improving them, amplifying them.

And now, today, I am off to Ottawa – about a two hour drive,
to participate in my first ever book fair.
The Ottawa Small Press Book Fair is being held at the Tom Brown Arena,
141 Bayview Station Road, Ottawa from noon to 5:00 PM. It has been around
since 1994 when Rob MacLennan founded it.

Their Facebook page is here.

I will post photographs soon.

On another note I just returned from my first ever writing retreat –
it was organized by my writing partners/colleagues of the
Montreal Writers Collective, a MeetUp group which I’ve been a
member of for the last 4 years.

It was self-organized in that we – five of us – rented an Air BnB near
Mt. Tremblant, Québec (about two hours north of Montreal)
and arriving there last Friday we spent the week in relentless devotion to – writing.
Starting at 9:30 each day we began with our morning Pomodoro
session – write for 31 minutes, break for 5 – 7 minutes,
write an additional 31 minutes. Until noon, or thereabouts.

Following lunch if we didn’t participate in a ‘learning session’
which one or the other of us had organized (i.e., character development,
writing action scenes, writing from prompts)
we, again, spent the afternoons, writing.

And following dinner (which we each took turns in preparing –
mine was awesome   : > ).    (chili) we continued with the writing of our
individual projects. Which in every case, was the writing of a novel.

In spite of an intense two day heat wave (32 – 34 degrees), with NO air conditioning,
we ‘soldiered on’. It was, great. It was something we hope to repeat again next year.

My next post will include photographs of the Fair and our writers’ retreat.

Thanks, as always, for listening.

I’m honoured to have my flashFiction piece • c o c o o n •  piece selected and featured in the newest publication of Syncopation Library.

When calls for submissions went out late last fall there was a simple criteria for consideration – the document/story must contain reference to the guitar.

Here is the link: :

I hope you enjoy it. One of my readers has already requested ‘more’ of the character….perhaps, maybe…..