It’s spring in Texas. That means allergies and storms are common and oppressive heat is right around the corner… Waiting… (With a hot knife…) But it also means it’s time for the annual writing retreat! (Woohoo!!!) Daingerfield State Park This is not the first retreat at Daingerfield State Park. And I suspect it won’t be […]
The Problem with Writing Historical Fiction
The novel I finished late last autumn takes place from 1923 – 1941. It is the first of several novels chronicling the protagonist’s life. I’ve started working on the second novel and…I ran into a problem. The Best Laid Plans… I planned to have a major character do a certain thing in the beginning of […]
Things Fall Away
The new job comes with an actual commute, a thing I’ve not had to contend with for years. I’ve worked from home more than in the office for the last seven years. When I did go into the office…the office was less than five miles away. Now, depending on the time, traffic, and the route […]
A New Job
I am the sole provider of income in our household. I pay the bills as a technical writer. Last Friday, I left the job I had for six years, nine months, and twenty-three days. It’s the longest job I’ve ever had. I start a new job this Wednesday. Changes I think about what I’m giving […]
The Best Things About Bookstores
Max Joseph makes movies. Sometimes they are short things built around an idea that sticks in his head — and other times he digs into something deeper. His latest movie/mini-documentary is about bookstores and what it means to slow down to read in a hurried world. (Video at the end of this entry.) My First […]
We All Trade for Something
A friend who has been very busy with some bigger things life has thrown their way in recent years is finally taking a deep breath and sitting down to write. They recently asked me a couple questions and gave me a compliment that made me smile: I want to be more like you when I […]
The Benefits of Not Writing
There is a point between bigger projects when I decide to not actively write. It is a time to gather pieces of the next bigger story; it is a time to let new ideas bubble up. The Rush When I chat with people about their day jobs — whether they work outside, in warehouses, or […]
Gathering the Pieces
Before I became a technical writer, I was a billing analyst. The best thing about the job was having constant access to adding machines with long rolls of paper. (Although my wife would disagree…more on that in a moment…) If I had a thought about a story at work, I wrote it on adding machine […]
A Brief Spring
There is a brief time in North Texas when the world is crisp and green. If you ignore all the allergens, you can kid yourself you live in paradise. But as quickly as spring arrives, it gives way to Texas heat. The seasons affect my writing schedule. While most people I know are excited for […]
On Criticism
It’s not uncommon in corporate America to be in a meeting and hear the dreaded, “Let’s go around the table and see what everyone thinks.” Soon, an otherwise good idea is watered down or killed by committee because everyone has a say–even those who are anything but experts about the concept or product. I suppose […]
In Between
With the latest novel complete, I’ve hit that in-between stage of things where I became so used to waking up and knowing there was writing to be done. Then, after writing, I woke up knowing there were revisions to be completed. Finally, I did those last tinkering read-throughs, fixing the tiny things nobody may ever […]
First Drafts
I’m not one to make many sweeping proclamations. Anything I write about here always comes with a sense of, “This is just what works for me, and if it helps others: great!” Like any kind of advice, writing advice can be a hit for some and a miss for others. One thing I see touted […]
Reading for Pleasure
It’s a strange thing, reading a novel you’ve put years into making something once only imagined. In your head, you have this vision, and while every writer works differently, I think we all work until that vision becomes a solid shape we know is right for the story. Getting there can take time for some. […]
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