I've struggled with the idea of perfection in life. In juggling, in writing, and other things that mattered to me, I fixated on a perfection I'm not sure exists. It's a nice thought that I can finish a piece of something perfectly before moving on … [Continue reading]
I wrote the first draft of my second novel while sick. I didn't know at the time that I had a 2.2cm pituitary tumor growing in my head. I was going blind in my right eye, but I kept writing. I've always written while sick; after all, if I wrote … [Continue reading]
Je suis Charlie! (I am Charlie!) I've seen it written a lot today. I don't follow the news. When something happens in the world, I usually see mention of it on Twitter. This morning, it was this tweet from Chuck Wendig that made me think, "Hmm...I … [Continue reading]
I always wanted to write, but I was never that teenager tapping out my first attempts at novels on a typewriter or scrawling in yellow notebooks. Hell, I didn't even write short stories. In my teen years, I juggled. Any storytelling I did came as a … [Continue reading]
I don't know how many times I've heard this: Do what you love, and the money will follow... It's a nice thought, but it's not very realistic. Show me the rare working poet doing something even more rare: putting on arm floats and leaping into their … [Continue reading]
Yesterday, I wrote about the best books I read this year. Today I'm writing about the most important thing I read this year... I usually don't ask the people who follow the things I do online to do things for me. I feel that content is a gift, and … [Continue reading]
It was a good reading year, but isn't every year a good reading year? Since I didn't write as many Juggling Writer entries in 2014 to merit the usual, "Best Of..." monthly breakdown I decided, instead, to write about some of my favorite books of the … [Continue reading]
Most writers I know dream of three kinds of offices: the mahogany office that doubles as a library, a room that looks like the Bomb of Eclecticism went off in the middle of the room, and the minimalist office that looks like something out of an issue … [Continue reading]
I recently read an article about publishers hunting for blockbusters. It's an interesting article, but what struck me most was this comment (by Gizella) about what many books lack: Perhaps it's because a great story needs a background of … [Continue reading]
We all have our places -- locations that make the speed of everyday life seem to fall away and remind us that when we slow down, the things we love best are easier to do. It's not just about writing, but for the sake of this entry, that is what … [Continue reading]
This is where the unwritten law of the Internet dictates that I say, "Spoilers ahead!" because I'm talking about The Hobbit book, which has been around since 1937. With the book being around 77 years, if I said, "Thorin, Fili, and Kili die in the … [Continue reading]
If you looked at the bookshelves in the apartment where I live, you'd probably think I'm fairly well read, or that I at least read more than most people. But for a writer, you might think, There should be more books here... Most Books I've … [Continue reading]
I've seen quite a few people (writers) share this quote from Ursula Le Guin's acceptance speech at the National Book Awards. (Le Guin received the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.): Right now, we need writers who know the … [Continue reading]