I listened to a great interview with Robert Goolrick yesterday. His road to publication was, like many, a bit rocky. A Well Worn Path Earlier in his life, he had a close call — something he was so sure of, he packed up his life and moved to Greece to wait for his contract and […]
My Hero Was a Tiny Badass Mightier than Oceans
I was a 21 year-old punk when I met Cuyler Etheredge. I enrolled in the only creative writing class I ever took, and Cuyler was the instructor. At that time, I’d written the first thing I ever wrote with the goal of publication: a 12-page comic book story (horror) that would go on to be […]
Remembering the Process
I’ve not felt like I’ve been writing well, lately. Words creep along with greater effort than usual, and what sees the page is not good. One recent morning, things finally clicked along again, but a major problem presented itself. (The kind of problem that means rewriting your rewrites.) It would be easy, in recent weeks, […]
The Sixth Annual Writing Retreat
This is how it all played out: we had the writing retreat initially scheduled for April 1 – 3. It was canceled because of a minor medical emergency that could have become major hit my friend, Deacon. A thing you must know about Deacon: after a layoff from his last corporate job, he decided to […]
On Repeated Success (With Creative Endeavors)
I did not come pre-package with musical aptitude. In fifth grade, I joined my elementary school’s orchestra. I played violin. I practiced more than most classmates and was understanding things enough that I wanted to learn how to tune my violin. The orchestra teacher said, “No!” Not just a soft “no,” but a stern “No!” […]
Finding the Perfect Path
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
A Literary Mother’s Day
Growing up, it was never lost on me how fortunate I was to have the women in my life who helped me become the man I am today. In some cases, the women were authors I’d never know: women who’d written books that floored me and gave me a different perspective on life than many […]
The Fifth Annual Writing Retreat
Last weekend, it was back into the woods of East Texas for the annual writing retreat. This year, a friend and I spent a few days in Daingerfield State Park. My wife and I went to the park for her birthday last October. (Photos for those who want to see the park in all its […]
Spartan Spaces
In two and a half weeks, I will be writing at a very spartan table on a very hard wooden chair. For a long weekend, I’ll be writing in silence in a cabin in East Texas, seated across from a best friend, while he does the same. This year marks the 5th year of the […]
What Is Enough?
Earlier, I read this review of the movie Paterson. (There are spoilers for the movie contained within, and I suppose I should mention that because of that, there are spoilers in this blog entry about the review. Hell, I spoil the end of the review in this entry. You have been warned.) If you have […]
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