Last week was Thanksgiving in the United States. Because many companies give employees Thursday and Friday off, I usually add to the days and arrange to have the entire week off. Last week was one of the best weeks I can remember. It’s not that we went anywhere special or did spectacular things. Rather, we […]
Before and After
I’ve seen many would-be writers read a favorite author’s work, throw up their hands, and say, “I give up!” Comparing your own rough work to your favorite author’s best work — work rewritten many times at the guidance of friends and agents and editors and proofreaders — is a sure-fire way to feel inferior. I’ve […]
Diving In
Today I started diving into the novel. I’ve obviously read much of it along the way, but there are parts I’ve only written that have not yet been read. This will be the first time I read the latest novel as a whole thing. Remembering… It’s always a good sign when you get back to […]
A Return to Noise
Tomorrow I return to the noise of social media. Every time I take a break, I miss much less than I loathe, but what I miss — I really miss: chatting with friends in other cities, states, and countries; seeing friends share big news; seeing friends sharing little things. (I am not one who comes […]
Greener Fields
James Rebanks’s book, The Shepherd’s Life, chronicles the life of a modern Scottish shepherd. I’ve seen it described as a book about doing very hard work to avoid simply working hard (i.e. working the land vs. having a busy day job in an office). There’s a bit in the introduction about this, and how some […]
The End (But Not the End)
I could have finished the novel yesterday, but I opted to hang out with my wife in the afternoon, instead. People who live with writers are often better than the writers they support (and I do have a strong self-image…it’s just that my wife is rather badass!). In the last month or so, my wife […]
So Much Can Happen in Seven Years
Seven years ago today, I shared an entry here in which I mentioned a new book was knocking around my mind. I figured that book might take three or four years to get to a readable state — with day job demands and a life to live. Seven years later, it’s almost there. Seven Years […]
On Simple Joys
Happiness by Carl Sandburg I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness. And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men. They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them And then […]
The Sounds of Writing
It’s not uncommon for me to chat with other writers and have the conversation steer toward this question: What do you listen to when you write? Even some writers I didn’t expect to lose themselves in the question have a playlist on hand — sometimes with a link to Spotify. (Leaving me to wonder if […]
Year Nine
Today, this little blog turns nine years old. In that time, I’ve been laid off from a long-term job that shut down most of a department. I freelanced with an airline in Guam and edited maintenance work cards for a major airline. I worked at a massive bank during the mortgage crisis, and have had […]
In the Middle of the Night
I usually get 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night. But sometimes, usually near the end of a big writing project, my normal schedule falls away and I find myself filling gaps of time by writing. This means sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and write. A [Not So] Good […]
A Later Start
I listened to a great interview with Robert Goolrick yesterday. His road to publication was, like many, a bit rocky. A Well Worn Path Earlier in his life, he had a close call — something he was so sure of, he packed up his life and moved to Greece to wait for his contract and […]
August Progress
I’ve never been one to track my progress when it comes to writing. Generally, I try writing more days than not (4 days a week), but I don’t even track that. If I really don’t feel like writing on a particular day, I don’t. But because I can see the end of a readable draft […]
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