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About Editor (Retired)

Newsman, blogger, editor, writer (and no longer young).

Lawyer Fiction: John Grisham and Michael Connelly, Part 2

books headerWriting without an outline is like walking a tightrope without a net. Dangerous! I should know better.

But the truth is, I nearly always write without an outline. It’s more exciting that way. When I start a story, I think I know where I’m going. I often end up someplace else entirely. (Kids, don’t try writing without an outline in English class; it makes the teacher crazy.)

On New Year’s Eve, I set out to compare authors John Grisham and Michael Connelly.  Turns out the two men and their careers are as similar as Coke and Pepsi. But when you open the covers of their books, there’s a definite contrast, like salt and pepper. If you’d like to read Part 1 of this extended post first, click here.

Grisham and Connelly are writers of the same generation, both productive enough to wear out a reader, but good enough to keep customers coming back for more.

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Small Steps To Make The Blog Better In 2014

Ahem! We break into our regularly scheduled posts (Michael Connelly was supposed to be up next) to deliver big news.

In case you haven’t noticed, “Work In Progress” is making improvements to serve you better in the New Year.

English: The logo of the blogging software Wor...

First, we’ve reinstated our longtime favorite theme, Twenty Ten. It’s one of WordPress’s most handsome themes. The decision to change themes was based as much on advertising potential as on aesthetics. Work In Progress is proud to be among the blogs participating in beta testing of the new WordAds program. Since Twenty Ten is among the  55 themes optimized for WordAds, it was a logical choice.

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Lawyer Fiction: John Grisham And Michael Connelly, Part 1

So many weighty questions remain unresolved as this miserable old year runs out the clock.

Who’s the best at writing lawyer fiction: John Grisham or Michael Connelly? That’s the question keeping me awake on the last night of 2013.

John Grisham

JOHN GRISHAM (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve read more of Grisham than Connelly. In fact I think I’ve read all of Grisham’s stuff, except his recent dabbling in the juvenile market. I just finished his latest, “Sycamore Row.” It’s classic Grisham with a deep-South setting, Clanton, Miss., a town caught in a racial time warp. Clanton is modern enough to have an elected black sheriff, but the rural backwater keeps producing court cases highlighting its history of racism.

A Grisham trademark is fast-paced suspense — maybe a chase scene — after a long buildup. Many of Grisham’s novels delve deeply into a particular legal quagmire, such as the death penalty, product liability, environmental pollution, or class-action suits. You feel like you’ve been through a law school seminar, except it was fun.

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‘Street Pope,’ By Dan Rodricks In The Sun

Aside

Dan Rodricks has a great column about Pope Francis, the “Street Pope,” in the Christmas Eve edition of The Baltimore Sun.

Christmas Cards, A Vanishing Tradition

American card, circa 1940

American Christmas card, circa 1940 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I regret to report that 2013 will be remembered as the year the Christmas card tradition died.

Based on anecdotal evidence, 2013 is the end of an era. People I know report neither sending nor receiving more than a card or two this year. I wouldn’t mind being wrong about this, but . . .

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Marriage Isn’t For You

This post by Seth Adam Smith is one of the most-read posts in the history of blogging. More than 25 million views. Good advice that appears to resonate. Read the whole thing before you decide if you agree. I’ve had a request to repost it, so here it is. –John

Seth Adam Smith's avatarSeth Adam Smith

Having been married only a year and a half, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that marriage isn’t for me.

Now before you start making assumptions, keep reading.

I met my wife in high school when we were 15 years old. We were friends for ten years until…until we decided no longer wanted to be just friends. 🙂 I strongly recommend that best friends fall in love. Good times will be had by all.

Nevertheless, falling in love with my best friend did not prevent me from having certain fears and anxieties about getting married. The nearer Kim and I approached the decision to marry, the more I was filled with a paralyzing fear. Was I ready? Was I making the right choice? Was Kim the right person to marry? Would she make me happy?

Then, one fateful night, I shared these thoughts and concerns with my dad.

Perhaps each…

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White Men Can’t Jump

Cover of "White Men Can't Jump"

Cover of White Men Can’t Jump

I missed a lot of movies during my long life as a wage slave, working usually at night. In retirement, I hope to make up for a lot of missed movies.

Tonight I saw the urban basketball movie, White Men Can’t Jump,” for the first time ever. What a great story! What trash talk! Male bonding! Best music sound track of a sports movie since Bull Durham.” Best romantic scenes in a sports movie since “Bull Durham.” I measure all movies by the “Bull Durham” standard.

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Christmas Gifts Delayed By UPS And Snow

United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (Photo credit: Dust Storm)

Santa Claus is legendary for customer satisfaction and on-time Christmas Eve performance.

UPS package delivery, despite its ubiquitous brown trucks . . . not so much.

Thousands — probably hundreds of thousands — of gifts failed to arrive in time for Christmas. Don’t blame Santa. Continue reading

Our Time: Spying Everywhere, No Jobs Anywhere

Two stories of our times may have passed nearly unnoticed in the Christmas Eve edition of The Washington Post. If you find yourself with a few quiet moments for reading, today or maybe tomorrow, I recommend the following from the 12-24-13 Post.

“Edward Snowden: I Already Won,” on Page One. It’s a long read, but it pulls the whole Snowden- NSA story together with some clarity.

And “How robots are stealing our jobs,” the chilling story in Economy & Business, page A13. Continue reading

In 12 years of blogging, the more things change, the more they stay the same

This essay by Om Malek is a comprehensive status report on social media and especially on blogging. A most valuable read for everyone who’s serious about blogging.

Hold these tho thoughts: “Point of view” and “Curating” — I’ll be pondering both items between now and Jan. 1. — John

Om Malik's avatarGigaom

Last Friday was the 12th anniversary of day when I posted my first blog post on gigaom.com, and starting what would later (in June 2006) become a company. (Up until Dec. 13, 2001, GigaOM was nothing more than a repository for my previously published articles and résumé.) These have been an interesting dozen years, where we have seen blogging go from a niche curiosity to a mainstream activity to becoming a catch-all phrase for news — casual news, if you are being nit picky. The concept of blogging as we knew it has lost some of its meaning and even a bit of meaningfulness.

When I started blogging, it was to share a point of view — mixing news with musings, with pictures, links, and later videos. It started and ended with that point of view, one that was open to adaption and adjustment, but always informed.

I told the…

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