Growing up, I thought Sherlock Holmes knew everything. Later, when I read the stories, I was amazed to find out that he had no desire to carry anything in his head that was not needed. He forgot much of what he knew in order to not crowd his … [Continue reading]
Last weekend, I chatted with my mom about a scene from the current novel rewrite I cut. Then a friend (Rick Coste) and I chatted in email about the phrase: Kill your darlings Killing Your Darlings I once knew someone who went through a story and … [Continue reading]
When I lived near Chicago, I was tracked as a vocational student. That meant the school I attended looked at my grades [but never at me, asking what I wanted to do later in life] and determined: This kid is not going to remove tumors from brains, … [Continue reading]
A friend posted this on Twitter a couple days ago: Advice for a better life: Never trust someone who calls vacation "vacay" or calls art "content". #ProTip #ArtLife — John Picacio (@JohnPicacio) July 20, 2016 I've been wanting to write this … [Continue reading]
A good friend (my old juggling partner) shared one of his favorite podcasts with me the last time we got together: Two Guys on Your Head. Episodes are short (7 1/2 minutes), quite brilliant, and funny -- making catching up a not-so-hard thing to … [Continue reading]
When I left work for the weekend, a coworker mentioned a remote teammate (in Ireland) and their 3-week vacation. No sooner than it was mentioned, someone nearby said this: I couldn't do that. All I'd think about the whole time is all the email and … [Continue reading]
Over the weekend, I finally got around to watching In Pursuit of Silence. (It was something I backed on Kickstarter, and I'm happy to see it getting attention.) If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know I have a strong appreciation for … [Continue reading]
Projects have a way of feeling like dimly lit pathways disappearing into the dark. Sometimes the path vanishes before us, and the best we can hope for is that we're still heading the right direction (or that we'll find our way back to the … [Continue reading]
There always comes a certain relief, and even an almost strange sense of confusion, following a big software release at work. And the latest release was the biggest I've seen in the almost four years I've been with the company. It's not that I … [Continue reading]
In stillness there is a power louder than thunder. In stillness is an opposition to life's hurried pace. In stillness, many great things are done. I'm not an all-or-nothing kind of person who believes that things must be done only one way -- and … [Continue reading]
With the biggest software release ever at the day job, writing, Not About Lumberjacks, Men in Gorilla Suits, and preparing for a talk about podcasting fiction for a local podcast group, I've been a bit busy. Things are beginning to slow, though. … [Continue reading]
A recent article about the Unbound Book Festival began with these lines: Thank God for Alex George. I have never believed in any god, but were I to believe, I would say whatever god I believed in smiled on Alex George this past weekend. A Bit … [Continue reading]
There is a certain freedom in not caring about certain things in certain ways. It's not apathy -- at least in the sense that many people think of when they hear the word. I'm talking about the freedom in realizing that sometimes the best thing to do … [Continue reading]