The two worst years of my life were junior high school. (More than the years in which close relatives died; more than the year I found out a brain tumor blew up in my head and was bleeding into itself and making me go blind in my right eye.) Those … [Continue reading]
It's that time again: September, when I take a month-long social media break and focus on writing. A friend dubbed it "The September Silence," and it's a fitting name because that's what I seek this month each year: a quieter time to fall into one of … [Continue reading]
This morning during breakfast, I read this article about what it means to teach high school writers about being published. There was one line, from a student working on a literary publication for high schoolers, that particularly hit … [Continue reading]
When many hear the word fantasy to describe books, they think about swords and sorcery. And sure, there are the obvious stories: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, A Song of Ice and Fire (the series Game of Thrones is based on), and The Chronicles of … [Continue reading]
There are two things most writers seem almost trained to not talk about: money and the likelihood they will never "make it." On the money front, it's everything from how much (or little) writers make...to how important having money to begin with … [Continue reading]
When I sit down to write something for The Juggling Writer, I always have a good idea what it is I want to say. I might discover much of an entry along the way, but I always have a few chunky bits in my head to get me started and pull me … [Continue reading]
[A disclaimer: I am friends with Alex George, the author of THE PARIS HOURS. That said, I knew Alex's writing before I knew him (through his old blog). And even if I knew nothing about Alex, this is still the review I'd share...] The Paris … [Continue reading]
I believe this to be generally true: If you wait to feel inspired by bigger things every time you write, it's likely you will never get much writing done. But I don't buy into the common belief that inspiration is for amateurs. I have a very … [Continue reading]
My ideal writing morning looks like this: The night before, I think a little about what I'll write the next morning.The next morning, I wake up between 4:30 - 5:30 and lie in bed a moment thinking about what needs to be written.I wander to the … [Continue reading]
My sister was five years older than me, and music (and books) were her refuge. Because she tended to hang out with people a bit older than her, the music she listened to was definitely well ahead of what I bought as a kid. One day on her … [Continue reading]
In one hour and forty-nine minutes, it will be 2020 in North Texas. But I've mentioned before that I consider September my new year. And so, this entry is not a recap of the year...nor is it a list of resolutions and goals I wish to accomplish in … [Continue reading]
[This got a bit long...] We live in a world where so many of us are told we can become anything we want to be. From a young age, we're told if we simply work hard, all our dreams will come true. (And the sharper side of that message: if they … [Continue reading]
Ten years ago... I was a little more than three months shy of being laid off from my first real technical writing job [the week before Christmas].I was slowly coming out of a depression that almost ended the things most important to me -- … [Continue reading]