Archive for June 2016

Cold writing (and reading) for a hot day

Cold writing (and reading) for a hot day
When I came outside this morning, the air seemed sharp in the June sunshine, and the heat was a shock to my system. What struck me, along with hot air, was that I had been in retreat from such weather: I’d been working on my unfinished detective story. It takes place in Valparaiso, Ind., during the winter of... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
June 27, 2016 at 11:39 am
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Is this 2016 or '1984'? George Orwell was a prophet

Is this 2016 or '1984'? George Orwell was a prophet
I’d been meaning to read “1984” by George Orwell (published by Harcourt, Inc. in 1949) since early in the actual 1980s. But I got scared off, deterred by the writing and reading I had assigned to me back then, and didn’t get around to it. I carefully called my 1984 diary “the real 1984,” and I... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
June 20, 2016 at 12:02 pm
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My endorsement for president: None of the above

My endorsement for president: None of the above
The candidates have dwindled down to a not-so-precious few. I’ve been avoiding writing about politics because I see so much other writing about it, but I keep thinking that I should get into the ring on one side or the other. But should I endorse a poor former Secretary of State and senator whose only... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
June 9, 2016 at 1:39 pm
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'Through the Magic Door' - Conan Doyle on 'two excellences,' short stories and long books

'Through the Magic Door' - Conan Doyle on 'two excellences,' short stories and long books
Among the sections I love in “Through the Magic Door” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is Chapter VI, the section on short stories. It begins: “Which are the great short stories of the English language? Not a bad basis for a debate! This I am sure of: that there are far fewer supremely good short... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
June 1, 2016 at 12:30 pm
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