I’ve seen many would-be writers read a favorite author’s work, throw up their hands, and say, “I give up!” Comparing your own rough work to your favorite author’s best work — work rewritten many times at the guidance of friends and agents and editors and proofreaders — is a sure-fire way to feel inferior. I’ve […]
A Kick in the Ass
Not only did I recently interview Mark Hosack, but I spent a nice evening hanging out with him during a recent trip to Los Angeles. It was my first time in California, so Mark showed me Marina del Rey, Venice, and Santa Monica. At our stop in Marina del Rey, we grabbed a cappuccino and […]
The Death of a Printer
Earlier this week, I mentioned that my printer died while printing the first draft of the latest novel. Here’s the rest of the story… Twenty-One Years Ago Twenty-one years ago, a laser printer in the home was a big deal. I can’t remember if the printer ran $700 or $800 at the time, but with […]
What Goes Into A First Draft
I didn’t write this past weekend. Well, I didn’t work on the novel-in-progress this past weekend…because I’m calling it a done draft! Sure, there are some rough edges and parts where crude notes like MAKE BETTER! and DESCRIBE MORE SHIT! linger. Some parts — most of the novel, really — is pretty readable (which is […]
Perfect Writing
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 to my next thing, but in my life, I’ve only […]
Light in the Dark
In recent months, the goal has been simple: finish the first draft of the current novel by year’s end. It’s an ambitious goal, and it may be more like, “The current novel will be finished by the end of the first month of the year,” but the point is this: I’m close! And in that […]
October (Is Made for Writing)
On his blog this morning, Paul Lamb mentioned that it’s October. October is my favorite month. (Well, when I lived in the Chicago area it was; in Texas, November is the closest we get to October up north.) It’s a great month to be outside. It’s a great month to throw open the windows and […]