Monthly Archives: September 2013

What a difference an apostrophe makes. Consider the sentence in the Queen Mary post below: Time and place are the writer’s problems, and the readers’. Take away the apostrophe after readers and the sentence means the readers are the writer’s problem, not that time and place are also the readers’ problems. Interesting, huh? One little apostrophe.

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann
Posted in punctuation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Queen Mary main lounge, c. 1950

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

This picture disturbs me because, except for the ashtrays and cigarettes, this room from sixty years ago could be today. If I were writing about a 1950 room, would I be so busy with the differences from the present that I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in cruise ships, writing about time and place | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Beach wrestling: “Watch his neck.” Write a short story?

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

Good show, guys. There’s a jump-off point for fiction in this Youtube video. Maybe two guys realize their friendship is based on one being better at things. The loser needs to get out from under his friend’s shadow, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in beach wrestling, short story invitation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Annapolis, Naval Academy Midshipmen on their way to lunch

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

Annapolis is home.

Posted in Annapolis, Midshipmen, US Naval Academy | Leave a comment

Annapolis, Maryland State House

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

I’ve lived in six capitals, including, briefly, Madrid and Buenos Aires. Since 1973 I haven’t lived in a city that isn’t a capital. So, naturally enough, my first novel is set in a capital (Annapolis) and the story revolves around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Annapolis | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Midshipmen Gangnam-style

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

If you haven’t watched this You Tube video that went viral last fall, it’s well worth the two-and-a-half minutes. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=midshipmen+gangnam+style&oq=midshipmen&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l2.4136.6339.0.8739.10.8.0.2.2.0.104.683.7j1.8.0…0.0…1ac.1.11.youtube.-E3qhQNbSXc

Posted in Annapolis, Midshipmen, US Naval Academy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Backseat of the new 1956 Plymouth…”with wide doors that never snag frocks.”

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

But we don’t use the word “frock” any longer, right? I found this ad in the book, Ads That Put America on Wheels. I was 8 in 1956, and I don’t remember my mom or sisters talking about their “frocks” but … Continue reading →

Posted in cars, words | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My new Lamborghini

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

Well, not exactly mine. It was parked near my gym. “The job I really want is stealing expensive cars”–the words of one of my characters. Midway through a book, I might not remember what color hair and eyes the author … Continue reading →

Posted in cars, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Enter the Twilight Zone: on their honeymoon, her husband arrested for her sister’s murder

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

A young man and his bride. It doesn’t matter what their names were. Let sleeping dogs lie. This murky picture is 64 years old. In a late ‘forties Newsweek, it was credited to the Milwaukee Sentinel from International, and the caption … Continue reading →

Posted in crime | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New York City at night

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Gary Garth McCann

Wikimediacommons.org is a great source to find art that may be reblogged, also a wonderful place to browse for whatever, usually not clitoris, a search I tried. Well, I hadn’t touched one for a long while and needed to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment