Author Archives: chrisryanwrites

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About chrisryanwrites

I tell fast-paced stories with humor and heart. My fiction work is available on amazon.com. Here, I’ll write about the sources for those stories from what I read, watch, listen to, and observe to my experiences as a former award-winning journalist, high school teacher, actor, and producer.

On Writing: What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed

Posted on October 13, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Morning comes in the middle of the night way too often for me these days, and I know why. I’m overwhelmed. This morning, my “To Do” list included grading 150 college app essays, 40 reaction papers, 100 timed essays, answer … Continue reading →

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On Writing: What I Learned at My First Book Fair

Posted on October 9, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

The thing about self-publishing is eventually you have to sell what you write. And while the digital book world continues to grow, I keep finding people who only want to read my book in print. As I have committed to … Continue reading →

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On Writing: Making it through The Monster of Daily Life

Posted on October 1, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Where have I been? Away from my blog for too long, and I woke up wondering what could have kept me away. Life. By that I mean wife, sons, death of friends, work, grading papers, writing lesson plans, orienting to … Continue reading →

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On Writing: The Less He Writes, The More Elmore Leonard Teaches

Posted on September 16, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Don’t let the blog headline fool you, Elmore Leonard writes all the time. He just doesn’t write anything “people tend to skip.” The result as been a career of tight, lively, fast-paced novels that have entertained for decades. Elmore Leonard … Continue reading →

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On Writing: Joyce Carol Oates and Running Through Your Story

Posted on September 12, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Years ago, I attended the South Hampton Writers Conference, and one of the best speakers there was Joyce Carol Oates. What a sight; she looks like a prettier version of Olive Oil and writes with such constant quality and voluminous … Continue reading →

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On Writing: A Reality Check From Richard Price

Posted on September 3, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Richard Price, author of literate bestsellers including Clockers, Freedomland, Samaritan and Lush Life, screenplays including Sea of Love and The Color of Money, and notable work on The Wire and NYC22, is the consummate New York writer. His dialogue crackles … Continue reading →

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On Writing: Learning from The Big Boys – Stan Lee

Posted on August 31, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

I am starting a series of blogs recounting lessons I’ve learned from big time writers. Since the mega-blockbuster film “Marvel’s The Avengers” returns to theaters this weekend to end the summer like we began it, I am going to start … Continue reading →

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A Guy’s Menopause Survival Guide

Posted on August 18, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

I love my wife. That needs to be said first, if we are going to do any good here today at all. I love my wife and she is going through menopause. As a result, I am learning a lot. … Continue reading →

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Parenting: Hulk Smash, or War of the Dads

Posted on August 14, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

As a Dad-in-Progress, I am always working to improve my parenting skills. Okay, that’s code for “I am a worrier who obsesses on whether I am doing all I can for my sons, and as a result, I tend to … Continue reading →

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On Pop Culture: Who Warner Bros. Should Really Get to Direct Justice League

Posted on August 10, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Warner Brothers came soooooooo close to solving their comic book movie credibility problem. And they still have a chance to get it right, with one phone call. This week Marvel announced Joss Whedon would be writing and directing Avengers II … Continue reading →

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