I love books. I love writing them. And that’s because I love reading them. When I was a kid in elementary school, my bicycle ride to and from school took me right by the public library. Sometimes I would get in trouble because I didn’t come home. Instead, my mother would find my in the … More (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
I want to tell you about the third time I fell in love. It was on Feb. 26, 1982. Her name was Melissa. I wasn’t a stranger to the operating room. I worked at Hinsdale Hospital in Illinois and often took photos there. But today was special. When Melissa came into the room, it was … More The Other Woman
This is the second semester of my 21st year of teaching college level students. And believe it or not, after teaching 42 semesters of classes, I still get nervous when I think about my classes. Do I know what I am talking about? Am I prepared? Will the students see through the facade I put … More What, Me Worry?
I have a colleague here in the English department at the university where I teach, and early on in my efforts at writing novels I passed several of my books in front of him. No more. One time, I passed the first chapter in front of him and then asked him what he thought of … More Does Your Story Have a Soul?
Just wanted you all to know that I am giving away 100 ebook copies of Soul Survivor, my first book in the Heretic series that came out a couple of months ago, on Goodreads. Here is the link to the giveaway: .goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; … More Time for a Giveaway!
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.” –Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV. Pretty much every writer has been asked the question, “Where do you come up with your ideas?” And the answers range from the honest, “I have no idea,” to an explanation … More How to Come Up with an Original Idea
Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. 1255 pages. Tor Books. Writing a massive series such as the Stormlight Archive takes a major commitment on the part of the author (you’ll note above that it’s not only the third and hopefully final book in the series, but weighs in at a hefty … More Review: “Oathbringer” by Brandon Sanderson
I’m a top writer on Quora. You know: that website where you can get your questions answered or can go on and answer other people’s questions. I spend a lot of time there answering questions about writing, which makes sense, since I teach it at the university level. One of the questions that pops up … More The Problem with Great Ideas
There are two typical ways of starting to writing a book. The classic way that people envision–and the way I actually started–writing books is you sit down at a desk with a laptop (or a typewriter, since I started in the Stone Age), and just start typing. The words flow from your psyche and you … More Logistics: Getting from Point A to Anywhere Else
Over the years, it’s my privilege to rub shoulders with many creative people that I have learned from. One of my recent colleagues was Kyle Portbury, filmmaker and scriptwriter who shares an Emmy win with me that we won a year ago today. One of the stories he tells is of a famous scriptwriter–whose name … More Stuck? Consider the “Dora” Approach to Writing
The Great Adventure 