Monday, October 16, 2006

Cobwebs Of The Mind Blog Review: Bill's Bilge by Southern Newspaper Columnist Bill Fullerton

BILL'S BILGE owned by Bill Fullerton is an incredibly funny and interesting blog that provides a look into the mind of a a Faulkner competition semi-finalist and a finalist by the Santa Fe Writer's Project. At the top of the blog his statement of purpose is absolutely clear:

"I'm a southern newspaper columnist, short story writer, and novelist. Other than that, I'm just another run down, beaten down, slapped down, broken down, shot down, hung down, put down, and kicked around old Boomer who's been beaten up, tied up, chewed up, blown up, hung up, screwed up, messed up, held up, and told to shut the hell up. I'll be posting some of my short stories, chapters from my novels, the occasional odd thought or observation plus any other bilge that comes to mind."
Do not be taken in by that quote. Bill, a newspaper sports columnist for the last 15 years, from the north bank of Kiowa Creek in Dallas, Texas has found homes for some of his short stories in ezines. When I asked for some personal information Bill came back with "Married, three kids, two grandkids, one dog, have a couple college degrees (BS & MA) and a Purple Heart (wounded in Vietnam)". I must admit that having been a battlefield medic for many years, I am impressed by the Purple Heart. I also do think, contrary to conventional wisdom, this does shape a man and his life. Of course Bill listed his interests as "Writing, sports, politics, history, recreational sex". So I kind of like this guy more and more.

There is a tremendous amount of writing up on Bill's site. Indeed he uses his blog as a showcase for his writing, something most authors are loathe to do. However, if your time is limited and you want a taste of what this guy can really do, I strongly suggest you take a look at The Rooster. While it is not for everyone, the art of the craft is very apparent in this excerpt from conversation to description.

Bill mixes humor, self-deprecation and a strong sense of patriotism in all that he comments on in his Blog. Indeed this is not a blog with 4 or 5 entries. It is rich in its presentation of story upon story, comments and musings. It is a true writer blog which shows love of the craft without the normal hand-wringing, angst that you sometimes see from other writers and artists.

In conclusion I will leave you with Bill's final remarks on himself. "I once fouled out in the second quarter of a high school basketball game. The coach raised hell--said the team needed me on the court to win. I'd have felt better except it was the other team's coach. Mine just leaned back on the bench and grinned."

That quote is a measure of not only a writer but a person who knows when, how and where to take himself seriously. Bayou Bill's Blog, BILL'S BILGE, is a serious blog to take a look at, enjoy and watch the mind of a writer at work.




Cobwebs Of The Mind Blog Reviews are posted from time to time based on blogs that are serious endeavors on the part of their owners. For those of you who wish to have their blog reviewed at Cobwebs Of The Mind please email me by using the GMail Icon on the right of the page. Members of Absolute Write (AW) who wish their blog reviewed please go to the following thread and read the instructions in the first post in the thread.




Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories: short stories, writing, on writing series
Getting Wasted - Writing & Editing & Publishing Short Stories

Edited With Qumana

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice profile - love the list of interests esp 'recreational sex' - and I might borrow that story about the coach. That's cute.

Anonymous said...

Bill Fullerton is everything you said and more. He's not only a fabulous writer, he's a fabulous person - witty and kind and smart as hell.

Thank you so much for featuring his blog; he deserves the accolades.

Watch . . . Bill Fullerton is going to be a well-known writer soon! I'm already anticipating the movie.