I’ve been writing for a while. I’m currently writing my seventy-second (72) novel. I have some opinions about writing, the process and the craft. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that there’s very little advice about writing that works for every writer. You really, REALLY need to listen to what your own writer brain tells
Essay: Bad and Good Writing Advice Read More »
Earlier this morning I finished the second draft of “The Popcorn Thief” — the make-it-not-broke draft. Blue ribbon prize at the Kentucky State Fair for ten cobs of the best popping corn I wrote the first draft fast and furious. I knew I would miss things, though, so I kept good notes, in a spreadsheet,
Make-it-not-broke draft finished! Read More »
Had an interesting realization today. The most important thing for the day, today, was typing up chapter eight. 33589 / 70000 I was about halfway through, taking a break, when I realized that for some reason, I felt I wasn’t doing the most important thing. Where the hell was that coming from? Writing is the
More deep thoughts Read More »
A couple weeks ago, I took a three-day class covering “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Most of the material wasn’t new to me. For example, habit one is about being proactive. Part of that is eliminating “have to” from your common, everyday usage. Years ago, I made the decision that I was no
I didn’t really write today. Maybe only 1500 words. I needed a break, after writing so hard and fast. I’ll still finish this chapter up tomorrow, and maybe do one more before the end of the year. I went back and looked at my stated writing/publishing goals for 2012. I did most of what I
2013 writing goals Read More »
Remember that whole plan I had about writing a short story a week until the end of the year? Then life happened. I got really sick for 2+ weeks. The third week, I was recovering, but I couldn’t find any enthusiasm for any of the short stories I’d kind of been thinking about. I figured
That writing thang… Read More »
All week, I’ve been struggling with the short story I’ve been trying to write. “Project block” is what Kris Rusch calls it — and I think that’s right. I don’t ever get writer’s block — I can always write. I get project block, though, when there’s something wrong with a project and I can’t figure
I had a huge insight today regarding the day job. Honestly, I probably should have figured this out before now. But late or not, this has given me a lot to think about. For the day job, I do technical writing. What I just realized is that I spend 80% of my day job in
I’ve started the new novel, Siren’s Call. Wrote about 1500 words today — possibly more, as I kept thinking of things I’d missed and adding notes to the pages. While I’ll be keeping track of the word count myself, I’m probably not going to post it. I found myself getting too frustrated with it with
That most fragile time Read More »
Happy New Year to those who celebrate this time of year. Me — I went to a wonderful New Year’s party. Hopefully made some new friends. Had a very good time. I also have good news! Talk about starting the year right. I sold a short story to an anthology (Bewere the Night — a