It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, and Shelly and I decided to celebrate early by going to a concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas last night. The performers were Sting of “Roxanne” fame, and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel fame. It was a great concert–for the most part–even though we had to pay … More In the Moment
I teach a class called Editorial Techniques to my journalism majors, and one of the first things I try to teach them is that the responsibilities of an editor go far beyond just making sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct (although those are extremely important, more important than some indie writers seem to … More The Complete Package–Revisited
My father was a man of few words. Me, not so much. But this week I have been taught a lesson in choosing my words wisely. My wife graciously gave me her cold last weekend. Friday night we had students over, and I was fine. Sunday morning I was coughing up a storm. Monday my … More Speechless
Here’s another take on my Vampires vs. Amish story that I hope to write someday soon. Vampires are not sexy. Yes, I know. The movie that came out a few years ago had the actor with the doe eyes going all sparkly when sunlight hit his vampire skin. All of the actors in that … More “A Baptism In Blood”
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” –Arthur C. Clarke With input from my fellow writers in the Rough Writers, our campus creative writing club, I have been talking about magic and science, fantasy and science fiction, and how one can and should relate to it. I have already expressed my bias against … More Does God Do Magic?
I am somewhat of an odd duck when it comes to my writing. I have positioned myself (with a lot of exceptions) as a Christian suspense writer who also writes science fiction. Here’s why: I am a born-again Christian who also loves science fiction. I believe each has something to teach the other. And I … More Magic, no. Supernatural, yes.
In his immortal book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, William Pirsig tells of an incident he experienced as a high school composition teacher. He told a classroom full of students to begin writing–something, anything. They couldn’t think of anything to write. He then suggested they write about something in the room. They still … More Why I don’t believe in magic
I hope you had a chance to read my newest short story that I posted yesterday. I am pretty proud of it. It is based on the challenge that went out from the Rough Writers, our student Creative Writing club on campus here. We have been building a fantasy world during this school year, and … More Getting the Word Out
Banri L’Chandra stood on the edge of the sky island known as Alash-la and cried. She held the one thing that mattered more to her than life itself close to her breast. The bundle of white cooed quietly, oblivious to her mother’s tears, the threat of violence that surrounded her or even the whipping wind … More Short Story: “A Hole In the Sky”
For those who have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I have been struggling with a form of writer’s block. I have said many times that the way to deal with writer’s block is to recharge your batteries by reading and watching movies, always watching for technique and ideas. … More Baby Steps
The Great Adventure 