Tesla’s Ghost is currently in the editing phase. I’ve finished the first draft–rough draft, or crap draft if you will–and now I’m trying to make my new darling as presentable as possible. When you’re just beginning writing, you’re enamored simply by the fact that you were able to complete something. Hey, look at me; I … More On the Cutting Room Floor
Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the last chapter of Tesla’s Ghost. The first draft is complete. Now the work begins. I’ve been down this road too many times to count, so I know that for all intents and purposes, the first draft is usually the fun part. Some people love the editing portion … More Finished…for now
Celeste and I officially completed the first draft of Salome’s Charger on Sunday. Yay! Woot! I find more joy and satisfaction out of the initial development of a story than anytime else. Well, let me correct that. I get more joy and satisfaction out of people reading my story than any other time. That, ladies and … More Now Comes the Hard Part
One of the first tenets that one learns in studying public relations is this: Perception is more important than Reality. In other words, it doesn’t matter how honest, how authoritative, or how sincere you are. If your audience doesn’t believe you, it’s all for naught. You see this all the time in political campaigns. It’s … More If You Can’t Make It, Fake It
I’m currently teaching two classes that are unintentionally vexing my students to death. One is intended to make them into editors, the other one into reporters. What vexes them is the simple fact that they can’t seem to come up with stories to write. Well, that’s not exactly correct. We have planning sessions where I … More I Hear Voices….
Every writing and editing project goes through what I call its “Ugly Stepchild” phase. My latest book, Chosen, is right there, right now. This is a project I have been planning for more than 20 years. I have started and stopped on it several times. Before summer started, I reviewed what I had before and … More Sow Ears and Silk Purses
I am a product of the Seventh-day Adventist publishing system. For more than 100 years, Adventists have shared their distinctive beliefs and messages through written books and magazines that are published in printing presses around the world and distributed in Adventist Book Centers as well as door to door. My first book, 52 Things to … More Long Time Gone
I don’t know if it’s because I have a vivid imagination, because I am a writer, or just a blessing by God, but I have always had dreams that present themselves in technicolor. Some are bad, which is understandable, but many are very good. And it has been just the past year or two that … More Sweeping Up Stardust
I am presently reading a book about the Civil War–Gettysburg to be exact. I picked it up on the discount rack at Wal-Mart. I am embarrassed to say that most of the books I buy come from some sort of discount rack, either in a store on online. Because I am one of those who … More Hits and Misses
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
The Great Adventure 