“I think it’s bad to talk about one’s present work, for it spoils something at the root of the creative act. It discharges the tension.” – Norman Mailer My wife and I have a rule: I’m not allowed to talk about a work in progress. If I have something I need to talk through, I […]
Archives for January 2011
Chuck Wendig’s Irregular Creatures Review
I don’t read many crime novels, sci-fi stories, horror shorts, or fantasy epics. It’s not that I have anything against genre fiction (in fact, I think everybody who writes should start out with genre fiction because it’s a great way to learn structure) — it’s just usually not my kind of thing. So it says […]
Monday Motivation: In Praise of Slacking Off
What I did this past weekend: My wife and I visited my mom and ate Thai food. I hung out with my wife. I watched the entire first season of Louie. I watched the Chicago Bears lose to the stinky Green Bay Packers. (Ah, well — there’s always next year…) I goofed off online. I […]
How To Know You’re A Good Writer
More than a couple times, I’ve heard a newer writer say, “I just want to submit my stuff and have somebody tell me I suck.” Aside from the masochistic urge of being knocked, if you know you suck, you’re wasting everybody’s time submitting. Even more than “I just want to submit my stuff and have […]
Monday Motivation: The Dream
Outside Magazine has published some of my all-time favorite non-fiction. Years later, this piece about a guy building a hovercraft in his basement and this piece about a bunch of friends on a four-day road trip to climb the highest peaks in the Midwest (yep, you read that right), still hold up for me. In […]
Kindle Publishing
For awhile, now, I’ve chatted with the guys in my writing group about releasing some things for the Kindle and other devices. I’ve messed with the .epub format here and here, but I’ve never tried publishing anything for the Kindle and Kindle apps. (I use the Kindle iPhone app for most of my e-book reading.) […]
Something Writers Need to Understand
I hear it all the time: people hearing about something that falls outside their sphere of comfort that makes them say, “I just don’t understand that…” It can be related to a story somebody tells at work, or something seen on the news; it can be something somebody in an extended family does, or have […]
Monday Motivation: Changing Your Writing Perspective
I’m writing this while standing up. I’ve worked many jobs in the past that required me to be on my feet all day or night. I’ve worked in warehouses, on loading docks, and as a landscaper; I’ve framed houses, worked on a farm, and in restaurants. But I’ve never written while standing up. Why Stand […]
What Do Writers Owe Their Audience?
On Wednesday, I wrote about Snooki’s new book and the reaction it’s caused. Snooki’s deal has bothered more than a few people out there. (I can sympathize; I just don’t think it’s worth the effort to go on and on about it because it’s not going to stop cut-rate celebrities from getting book deals…or stop […]
The Rage and Jealousy of Some Writers
I know next to nothing about Snooki. I know there’s a show called Jersey Shore and that people watch it because it’s a supposed train wreck, full of ridiculous people being, well…ridiculous. I’m not a fan of fame for the sake of fame, but the main reason I have never watched the show is — […]
Monday Motivation: Learning from Musicians
I’ve known my friend Brent Meyer since high school. We’ve always supported what the other is up to, even though Brent’s always been focused on music, and my focus has always been on writing. Being friends with Brent, I’ve seen that no matter what one’s creative obsession, there are many parallels about what works no […]
Happy New Year!
I wanted to get this online Friday night, but I was having a big problem with The Juggling Writer. (I was unable to log into the site; obviously, I figured out the problem.) So while we’re all looking ahead into 2011, here’s a glimpse into the past — December 31, 2010: