Ronnie Blair
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rblairwriter.bsky.social
Ronnie Blair
@rblairwriter.bsky.social
Lead Writer for Advantage–The Authority Company; author of "Eisenhower Babies: Growing Up on Moonshots, Comic Books, and Black-and-White TV." ronnieblair.com
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Advantage Books recently launched its own brand store on Amazon and I was happy to see "Eisenhower Babies" neatly tucked among other memoirs and biographies.
We are coming up on the 60th anniversary of the Batman TV series' debut (Jan. 12, 1966). This serves as a reminder that Adam West was indirectly responsible for a scar I have on my left knee. I wrote about that scar a few years ago in this blog. I hold no grudges.
www.ronnieblair.com/post/the-sca...
The Scar, the Barn Loft, and the Batman
By Ronnie BlairOn my left knee is a faint scar, put there nearly 60 years ago by Adam West – sort of. He was responsible indirectly anyway.Anyone who was around in the 1960s remembers the extraordinar...
www.ronnieblair.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Writers often discuss whether to use AI. But a related problem is people accusing writers of using AI simply because they used a particular word, writing convention, or punctuation mark that ChatGPT is said to be fond of. My latest blog tackles this topic.
www.ronnieblair.com/post/em-dash...
Em Dashes and Other False AI Clues
By Ronnie Blair The em dash would seem to be an innocent enough punctuation mark, doing its job without asking anything in return and never displaying jealousy of the comma or the period, whose servic...
www.ronnieblair.com
July 12, 2025 at 1:32 PM
In writing, how can you help the reader experience the moment you are describing? Ethan Gilsdorf offers his take on this problem in a guest essay for the Brevity Blog. He calls his approach "zooming in and lingering."
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/03/17/s...
Stay a Little Bit Longer: The Art of Zooming In and Lingering
By Ethan Gilsdorf “I’m not quite seeing this,” a student might say in one of my workshops, trying to grasp a vague or murky moment in a memoir. “That’s not entirely clear,” another might comm…
brevity.wordpress.com
March 17, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I didn't even realize today was National Essay Day until this reminder from Dinty W. Moore appeared. I probably should get to writing right now. @dintywmoore.bsky.social
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/02/28/n...
Today is National Essay Day: So Start Thinking
By Dinty W. Moore Though much of our focus on the Brevity Blog is the art of memoir writing, the genre we call creative or literary nonfiction is far wider in scope, and it would be a shame for wri…
brevity.wordpress.com
February 28, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
Today is the day! AIR-BORNE is out. Thanks to the Associated Press for this review, calling the book "gripping"--"reads like a combination of detective and horror stories." 🧪https://apnews.com/article/book-review-airborne-zimmer-1adb7f2db55012be5f0d383d5908f3cc
February 25, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
The First-Ever Film Version of Lewis Carroll’s Tale, Alice in Wonderland (1903)
The First-Ever Film Version of Lewis Carroll’s Tale, Alice in Wonderland (1903)
Once lost, this 8-minute, very damaged, but very delightful silent version of Alice in Wonderland was restored several years ago by the British Film Institute. It is the first film adaptation of the 1...
www.openculture.com
February 23, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Advantage Books recently launched its own brand store on Amazon and I was happy to see "Eisenhower Babies" neatly tucked among other memoirs and biographies.
February 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Ever write a paragraph that is deliciously beautiful but doesn't move your story along in any substantive way? In this guest essay for the Brevity Blog, Allison K. Williams discusses why even good writing sometimes needs to feel the wrath of the delete key.
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/g...
brevity.wordpress.com
February 18, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
We have specific words for employed writers: Screenwriter, Author, Copywriter, Journalist, Critic, Editorialist. But if you write, you are a writer. Don't let anyone tell you - or even tell yourself - that you aren't a real writer until you are paid or published. I'm here to tell you that you are.
January 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
As writers, how important is it for us to have a specific reader in mind before we begin a new piece? Amanda Le Rougetel explores that question in this essay for the Brevity Blog.
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/01/31/m...
My Reader Lives in My Head. Does Yours?
By Amanda Le Rougetel “Who is your reader?” I ask this question in two different writing classes and get two different reactions. The first class receives my question with puzzled looks and silence…
brevity.wordpress.com
January 31, 2025 at 1:14 PM
As a collector of old books, I own quite a few early 20th century juvenile series books similar to this one from the Stratemeyer Syndidate. But I do not have a single Motion Picture Chums book in my collection so I have some hunting to do.
New #ebook at Project Gutenberg: The Motion Picture Chums' new idea by Victor Appleton https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75238
January 29, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father's Attic

By Sarah Kuta

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/m...

#books #literature #lost_manuscripts
Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father's Attic
The papers connected to author A.A. Milne—including original drafts, illustrations, letters, poems and corrected proofs—sold at auction for more than $118,000
www.smithsonianmag.com
January 29, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
"I knew that what I had was saggy and bloated, not sufficiently coherent or compelling to be publishable. The main problem, I thought, was how to structure and organise the pieces. I started borrowing memoirs from the library." ~ Beverley Stevens brevity.wordpress.com/2025/01/29/a...
A River Runs Through My Memoir-in-Essays
By Beverley Stevens I have at last found a book—actually two books—that are close to what I envisage for the memoir I’m working on. Finding these models feels like a validation and fuels my not-so-…
brevity.wordpress.com
January 29, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
Who do you compare yourself to? Whose stellar achievements make yours look shabby and small? What does “normal” creativity look like to you? Insight from @amcarley.bsky.social.
It’s Time to Interview Your Own Inner Diminisher | Jane Friedman
If an inner voice criticizes your creativity, consider addressing the judgy elephant in the room. To whom does that voice belong?
janefriedman.com
January 29, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Ronnie Blair
William E. Leuchtenburg, a historian whose books cemented the place of Franklin D. Roosevelt among the greatest American presidents, died on Tuesday. He was 102.
William E. Leuchtenburg, Scholar of F.D.R. and the Presidency, Dies at 102
His writings, which stretched across eight decades, helped Americans understand a president who transformed the office and shaped the postwar years.
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM