@Emmacox yes. You@can see that I used many of the standard bricks in the skyscraper build.
A. A. Rubin
Writer, Editor, Cosmic Cain. Member SFWA. He/Him
How Old School Lego Developed My Creativity (and Turned Me Into a Panster)
The Funniest Charles Dickens Story You’ll Read Today
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/the-funniest-charles-dickens-story-youll-read-today/
On Browsing
A couple of weeks ago, I was reminiscing about how I found Philip K. Dick, one of my favorite authors, browsing the shelves at the now defunct St Marks Books in the East Village many years ago. At the time, I did not know who Philip K. Dick was, do not know that many of my favorite science fiction movies were based on his work, and, of course, I had no idea that would become one of my favorite authors.
I Work Like A Painter
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2026/01/16/i-work-like-a-painter/
The Best Books I Read Last Year
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2026/01/09/the-best-books-i-read-last-year/
The Tragedy of a Notebook
A story about a time I did everything right, but still came out the loser in the end.
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/12/19/the-tragedy-of-a-notebook/
2025 Writing Year in Review (And Award Eligibility)
Since I do not expect any more major publications this year, it's time for my annual post highlighting my publications this year. Some of that work is award-eligible, and if you are a voting member of professional award-giving organization (Nebula, Stoker, etc.) I thank you for your consideration. This was a quality over quantity year for me, and while, for various reasons which I'll cover in my annual submission…
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/2025-writing-year-in-review-and-award-eligibility/
The Best Sentence I Heard Recently Includes Six Modifiers
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/the-best-sentence-i-heard-recently-includes-six-modifiers/
How Ann Nocenti’s Daredevil Panel Changed My Perspective.
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/how-ann-nocentis-daredevil-panel-changed-my-perspective/
Writers on Writing: Writing Advice I Heard at NYCC, 2025 Edition
News and Notes: Spooky Season
I was at NYCC last week, and I’m still collating and processing my notes. The traditional writing advice wrap up is coming soon, don’t worry. In the meantime, I didn’t want you to miss some news about some new places where you can read, watch, and listen to my gothic writing this Halloween season. Into That Darkness Peering, my Edgar Allan Poe-inspired gothic collection, illustrated beautifully by Marika Brousiabou is now available to read…
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/10/17/news-and-notes-spooky-season/
The Best Writing Advice from the Last Three NYCCs
This weekend, I am at New York Comic Con. As always, I will be running around, trying to pitch some stories, and attending various professional writing panels. NYCC has always had great craft panels (though, fewer is seems each year), and I’ll have a complete wrap up of the best advice I heard after the show. For now, here are the articles where I collated the best writing advice in each of the last three shows.
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/10/10/the-best-writing-advice-from-the-last-three-nyccs/
The writer experiences the story like a Tralfamadorian, but the reader experiences it as a human.
#Kungfumovie fans: if I title a chapter “Pigeon in the Alley Cat’s Shadow,” you 1. Get the reference, and 2. Is it too much of a stretch?
A. A. Rubin boosted:
Title: Mor Teg
(translation: Beautiful Sea)
Acrylic on 16x24 inch canvas
*retooting as I forgot to pin it the first time.
#CreativeToots #Art #MastoArt #Nature #Sea #Ocean #Painting #Cornwall #Artwork #ArtForSale
@Emmacox thank you so much. I’m so glad it spoke to you.
Writing to Learn
If you ask a writer why they write, you are likely to get answers like, "I have stories I need to tell," "I want to change the world," or "I wanted to read a book/story like this and no one else was writing it." And, while these are all valid answers, and most writers, to a greater or lesser extent, do write, at least in part, because of them, I want to focus on a different reason why I write today: writing helps me learn.
On Fools, Clowns, and Would be Kings
I am writing this post over the course of a day spent mostly in waiting rooms. My apologies for both the late hour of the post, and for any mistakes which might result from the fact that my reception is spotty. I’m doing most of the Shakespeare from memory. Recently, I saw a short clip on social media taken from an interview of the cast of…
https://aarubin.wordpress.com/2025/09/19/on-fools-clowns-and-would-be-kings/
The Best Piece of Advice I heard at the Writers Digest Conference
Earlier this summer, I attended the Writers Digest Conference in Baltimore. I listened to panels, met with agents (fingers crossed), and networked with fellow writers. The experience was incredibly valuable and I learned a lot, but one piece of advice, given by author Rob Hart (Assassins Anonymous, The Warehouse), stood out above everything else I heard at the conference:
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