I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much, lately. I just haven’t had much to say that’s been worth writing about. (I never want to write a blog entry just for the sake of writing an entry.) I spent a lot of time preparing for a writing conference at the end of June. Since then, I’ve […]
Monday Motivation: The Power of Humor
“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.” – Mark Twain “Humor is an almost physiological response to fear.” – Kurt Vonnegut “You can’t deny laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me the […]
Monday Motivation: The Luckiest Thing
Saturday night, instead of writing, I plopped down on the couch and watched a couple movies with my wife. I had plenty of writing-related things I needed to do; in fact, the plan for the evening was writing for me, and movies for my wife. I knew she’d enjoy the movies even more with company, […]
Awfully Quiet
I apologize for being so quiet, lately — I’ve been preparing for the Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference at the end of the month. I’m sure I’ll post an entry or two before the conference, but I wanted to let everybody know why I haven’t been posting regularly. I hope everybody’s writing is going […]
Writing Through the Hunt
Many juggling writers spend their days at work wishing they were home writing. Sometimes the opportunity to have time to write comes along in the form of a layoff. I was laid off last December, and while landing my next job would be nice, it’s not something I’m stressing about (yet). Some people spend their […]
The Trusted Reader
I’m currently getting feedback about my novel-in-progress from some trusted readers. I’ve mentioned trusted readers before. As notes have come back to me, I’ve thought about what makes a trusted reader. The best advice I’d give to somebody wanting to be a trusted reader: Tell the writer what’s wrong — not what you would do. […]
Monday Motivation: Work Hard
I’ve only read one Amy Tan book: The Bonesetter’s Daughter: A Novel (Ballantine Reader’s Circle) (Affiliate link). The novel’s protagonist is a ghost writer, and Tan uses the character to point out some of the pitfalls of being a writer when it comes to the way others sometimes view the profession: People thinking you have […]
Monday Motivation: Antique Ideas
If the idea well seems a little dry, I know a store most likely in your town (big or small) you can visit and come out full of ideas! Each time you visit, it’s different; each time you browse and leave, there’s the potential for discovering something new. The store? Your local antique shop! * […]
Avoid the Buzz
It’s Monday — that means back to work for many juggling writers who will hear things like, “We need to hit the ground running this week, attack the low hanging fruit in order to maximize productivity, and utilize our group dynamic to create a paradigm shift that positions us as forerunners in the [insert industry […]
Be Back on Monday
One of the earliest lessons I learned about writing is there are times when unexpected things happen and writing is put aside for a week or two. The past couple weeks have been one of those times for me. My wife and I were in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, visiting ill relatives — one […]
The Future of Books and Publishing
I recently watched Richard Nash’s talk about the future of books and publishing. (I found it here, on Booklife.) There are some great points made in the presentation, but there were two that really stuck out: The reminder that the long form narrative is a feature, not a bug. Most writers — whether they know […]
Turn It Off
I’ve been listening to The Nerdist podcast. (Anybody even vaguely into stand up comedy should listen to it, especially the Drew Carey episode.) I started listening to the Andy Richter episode yesterday. About 27 minutes into the podcast, they talk about stand up comedians who are always on. I’ve been around a few people like […]
Defining Moments
On a walk last night, I thought about how I didn’t start writing seriously until I was 20. I always enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t something I thought I’d do when I was younger. (I thought I’d be an artist, a wildlife biologist, or a juggler.) As I walked along, I thought about the earliest […]
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