Barataria – the work of Erik Hare

Entries categorized as ‘Writing’

Just Sayin’

16 October 2009 · 7 Comments

Every language has a few words or phrases that are used because everyone is used to them.  Some of them work pretty well, but others are used in silly ways.  If you take the world at face value, some of them are literally very funny without meaning to be.

(more…)

Categories: People & Culture · Writing

Newsbobber

14 October 2009 · 9 Comments

One of the hottest topics in journalism is the future of the craft itself.  Newspapers are laying off reporters at a rapid clip at the same time that technology has made “citizen journalists” out of any blogger willing to take up the handle.  What is the future of a profession that appears to be in such decline?  Like many careers, journalism is clearly going to change in ways that are hard to predict right now.  The future may lie in a bit of the past and a bit of innovation, as shown by the excellent new aggregator of Minnesota blogs, Newsbobber.

(more…)

Categories: Nooze · Writing

Anime

28 September 2009 · 9 Comments

What do you do when you’re stuck in a rut?  Is doing the same, old same-old really good enough?  The answer can be found in entertainment, at least if you’re willing to go along with the flow and accept something very different.  In a world that seems like it’s full of very similar knock-off movies and teevee shows based on proven formulas, there is one place where creative people found themselves uninterested in just doing the same things over and over, and that’s in animation.  There may be a lesson there for everyone who finds that what they’ve been doing for a long time may not be good enough anymore.

(more…)

Categories: People & Culture · Writing

Awfully Artificial

28 August 2009 · 7 Comments

Words mean things, or so the saying goes.  Unfortunately, things change so words have to change.  That’s where it gets interesting.

(more…)

Categories: People & Culture · Writing

Craftsmanship

29 July 2009 · 2 Comments

Woodworking is a strategic craft.  It often starts with a plan, but it may start with a irresistible chunk of raw wood that seems destined to be an expression of beauty.  In either case, the goals are formulated, the steps outlined and the tools sharpened.  Perfecting the craft itself isn’t much different.  The woodworking his or her self is the block of uncut wood, molded and shaped through years of practice, mentorship and gobs of quantity time with other devotees of the art.  Together, it is the Way of the Craftsman – patient yet active, contemplative yet expressive.

It’s also the way that I approach writing.  I believe many others do as well, but I very much wish that this view was universal.

(more…)

Categories: People & Culture · Writing