I’m in good spirits this morning. I’ve been struggling with completing articles for the Spring issue of Spirit magazine, the alumni magazine that I edit. This morning, since my wife had to get up early and go to work, I got up with her. I always think more clearly in the morning, especially when I … More Wrestling with the Titans
I was listening to NPR this morning while I was in pursuit of a rumor of free firewood (a story for another time). They were talking about research on happiness. The question came up: does having children REALLY make you happier? Research showed that the acts involved in taking care of children actually ranked pretty … More Happiness Is a Warm Keyboard
I spent two years in research and then development of a national magazine that only lived a year. It was a traumatic ending of two of the hardest, best years of my life. The magazine was, I still believe, one of the best to ever come out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But like a … More When Bad Things Happen to Good Stories
I’ve been keeping a low digital footprint the past few days. In fact, as I think about it, I am not sure I told you much about the fun we had at our photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. So let’s start with that. Spring semester is continuing to occupy every loose brain cell … More On Dumps, Dry Ice and Deadlines
Back in the 90s when I was a book editor at Pacific Press, we had a summit meeting to talk about the state of publishing. I remember raising my hand and offering the opinion that the editor of tomorrow–which of course means today now–would need to be a jack of all trades. He or she … More An Indie Author’s Best Investment
I am sitting in my living room in sweats. I haven’t shaven yet this morning, and I might not today. Beside my easy chair are textbooks for classes for the new semester, which starts in about 10 days. On top of that is the paperback I am trying to read as well. It’s quiet: my … More Eye of the Storm
A month or two ago, I had a fellow Tweeter ask me what Christian suspense was. I politely told them that Christian suspense was just suspense writing with a Christian theme. That got me to thinking about a question that came up in my blog about a year ago: Is there such a genre as … More Is There Such a Thing as Christian Horror?
Week six in my Drama Writing class, and we are making the transition from stage play writing to screenplay writing. As I have said from the very beginning, we are blessed with two great textbooks, and I am learning a lot not only about scriptwriting, but about novel writing as well. One of the words … More How Spectacular Are You?
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” –William Shakespeare I suffered through the typical teenage years. I was pretty insecure about who I was, and was eager to be accepted into “the inner circle.” And so I was constantly trying to reinvent myself. One week I would go for the cool surfer look … More The Trap of Reinvention
I spent a little time on Twitter this morning. My Reporting class is involved in an in-class writing exercise, which gives me time to play. Once again, as I surf through Twitter, I am amazed and floored at the thousands and thousands of would-be writers all saying the same things and dreaming the same dreams. … More Really, It’s Not the Lottery. Or Is It?
The Great Adventure 