I’ve mentioned Jack Cheng’s “Sunday” letter newsletter here before. This week, Cheng wrote about plot. In the piece, Cheng shares a couple great quotes from George Saunders. This is the one that stuck with me (and, apparently, Cheng): I don’t get plot. I don’t understand it, I don’t like it, whenever I try to come […]
Rescheduling the Retreat
A wee medical thing with the friend who takes part in the annual writing retreat means we’re going to have to reschedule. I still plan to take Monday and Tuesday off to write, though. And then sometime later this spring, summer, or maybe even autumn…it will be off to East Texas for the sixth annual […]
Writing Is Not That Easy
When a story breaks about someone on YouTube earning a lot of money from making videos, it’s almost inevitable: someone’s going to say, “I’m gonna start making YouTube videos and making millions…” It’s usually said in such a manner that the person saying it is offended someone who gives a large part of their lives […]
The Sign Beneath the Door
In movies, roommates leave a bevvy of items on doorknobs to tell their roommate, “Hey, I have things going on in here, and I would appreciate it if you found another place to crash tonight…” I consider myself fortunate that the one roommate I had after high school was more likely to say, “Hey, I’m […]
Sixth Annual Writing Retreat
The sixth annual writing retreat is booked. Last year’s retreat was at Daingerfield State Park…and this year’s retreat will be there as well. After my day job getting the better of me last year, I look forward to keeping the momentum of 2018 going through the spring. And having the retreat lined up is a […]
Changes Along the Way
Recently, I wrote an entry about what it takes for me to be productive. (Quick version: Don’t do so damn much, say no to things, and stop distracting yourself with things that pull you away from writing.) In many ways, that’s what I did when I started writing (head down; write all the time), but […]
To a Productive 2018
A friend and I recently chatted about productivity systems. Or, I should say, he talked about productivity systems… We both appreciate the way the other looks at a thing they want to do and how they go about doing it. I tend to get more done, though, and that’s what this friend finds interesting: that […]
Three Things
The number three is an important number to me. Not for any metaphysical reason, but because I juggle, and most people agree that when you can keep three things going in the basic cascade pattern, you have successfully juggled. I won’t go as far as saying I live my life in threes, but it’s a […]
I Don’t Belong Here
There’s a line in Radiohead’s song “Creep” that always settled somewhere deep within me: I don’t belong here… It’s a feeling I’ve struggled with for decades. There have been times, even among close friends, that I’ve felt like I don’t belong. I know part of it goes back to being heavily picked on when I […]
Quieting the Interrupted Brain
Last week, I had my first full week off in two years. I had grand plans that involved writing, hiking, canoeing, and other things. Mostly, though, I sat still. I’d not call what I did last week laziness, though; I did do things! But those things were much more reflective and done without interruption: reading, […]
The Best of Not About Lumberjacks
I’m terrible at asking for help, but if you like this blog, or the stories I write, sharing this would be appreciated… Not About Lumberjacks On November 17, 2015, I loaded the first episode of Not About Lumberjacks. It’s a story about a dog who eats everything in sight. It still holds up for me… […]
The Little Red Canoe
I thought about writing a longer piece about the little red canoe (that, if we’re being honest, is anything but little (or light)). I thought about sharing the story how it, and all its gear, was purchased with money from a travel article chronicling Texas roadside attractions. I could tell you that we’ve had it […]
80 Days Revisited
On July 6, I gave myself 80s days to finish the current draft of the latest novel-in-progress. On July 31, the company where I work went through [another] large layoff. I was spared, but another technical writer in my group wasn’t. And guess who got his job on top of all the regular writing tasks […]
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