Summer has passed the halfway mark in these parts, and we’re in the midst of our first heat wave since mid-spring. (Is April the new August?)
I’m taking it slow, not that I have much choice in the matter. My son is at the shore this week with his mother, my soon-to-be former wife. (I haven’t [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Writing’
August 11, 2009
Life in the Slow Lane
Filed under Bayan, Copywriting, Cynic, Cynicism, Rick Bayan, Writing
Tags: Advertising, Cynicism, divorce, essays, New Moderate, Rick Bayan, Rick Bayan personal life, Rick Bayan websites, summer
December 16, 2008
Hoisting the Black Flag
I’m what used to be known as a “good egg.” I’ve played by the rules all my life. My fuse is absurdly long and slow to burn. Dogs, children and crazy people gravitate to me like groupies to young musicians with too much hair. I suffer fools gladly, probably because I belong to their tribe.
Lately I’ve [...]
Filed under Bayan, Books, Cynic, Cynicism, Humor, Rick Bayan, Writers, Writing, authors, publishing, rants
Tags: agents, Books, editors, essays, gatekeepers, Joe the Plumber, literary agents, pirates, publishers, publishing, publishing industry, rants, rejection, revenge, Rick Bayan, Sarah Palin, self-publishing, Tina Fey
June 16, 2008
Humor Needs to Be Taken Seriously… Seriously!
I’ve been solemnly engaged in the business of writing humor for about fifteen years now. I’ve worked diligently at my trade. I’ve studied under some of the undisputed masters of the craft: Rabelais, Swift, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H. L. Mencken, to name just a few. Several of my readers, not all of them family members, have [...]
Filed under Bayan, Books, Cynic, Humor, Humorists, Rick Bayan, Writers, Writing, authors, publishing, rants
Tags: Baby Boomer, Cynic's Dictionary, Dave Barry, David Sedaris, facebook, Humor, Humorists, irony, Marley and Me, Mencken, New York Times, NPR, publishing, Serious humor, The New Yorker, wit
May 31, 2008
Introducing Positive Cynicism: an Upbeat Philosophy for Grumblers
Positive Cynicism? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Cynics are supposed to be sneering, carping, curmudgeonly critics, aren’t they?
Well, most of us cynics are chronic naysayers. And that’s the problem. Sure, we’re generally justified in our grumbling. But I’ve reached the conclusion that grumbling doesn’t make for a deeply satisfying or salubrious lifestyle. In fact, cynics are reputed to [...]
Filed under Bayan, Cynic, Cynic's Dictionary, Cynicism, Richard Bayan, Rick Bayan, Writing, authors, philosophy
Tags: Cynic, Cynic's Dictionary, Cynic's Sanctuary, Cynicism, philosophy, Positive Cynicism, Richard Bayan, Rick Bayan, self-help, upbeat
July 23, 2007
R.I.P. The Cynic’s Dictionary
It had to happen sooner or later. The Cynic’s Dictionary, my personal favorite of all my published and unpublished works, finally succumbed to a combination of old age and mass indifference. It was twelve years old. I bought the final four unsold copies from the current publisher on July 18, 2007, and that was that.
Twelve isn’t [...]
Filed under Ambrose Bierce, Bayan, Books, Cynic, Cynic's Dictionary, Humor, Humorists, Richard Bayan, Rick Bayan, Words That Sell, Writers, Writing, authors, publishing
Tags: Ambrose Bierce, bestsellers, Bierce, Cynic, Cynic's Dictionary, Cynicism, dark humor, Humor, out of print, publishing, Rick Bayan
May 15, 2007
Authors Richard Bayan and Rick Bayan are the same person, Bayan reveals
Now my secret is out: I lead a double life as an author. As Richard Bayan, I’ve brought you the popular advertising thesaurus Words That Sell and its recent spawn, More Words That Sell. As Rick Bayan, I’ve created that dark-humored Biercean lexicon for our times, The Cynic’s Dictionary — along with my equally dark-humored website, The Cynic’s [...]
Filed under Advertising, Ambrose Bierce, Bayan, Books, Copywriters, Copywriting, Cynic, Cynic's Dictionary, Humor, Humorists, Richard Bayan, Rick Bayan, Words That Sell, Writers, Writing, authors, publishing
Tags: Advertising, authors, copywriter, Cynic's Dictionary, cynical humor, Cynicism, dark humor, Humor, publishing, Richard Bayan, Rick Bayan, words, Words That Sell
