I’ve been asked what the hardest part of writing a novel is, and my answer tends to be directly related to how well my novel-building is going at the time. My dad used to have a saying: “Some days you eat the bear, and some days the bear eats you.” Some books come together quickly … More Brick By Brick
It’s almost the end of September, which means November is just around the corner. And if you’re a writer you know what that means…. National Novel Writing Month. Yup. Don’t know if I have the courage yet to try it again this year, but I have done it five times before and succeeded four times, … More Ping Pong Writing
It helps to be obsessive when you’re a writer. That’s pretty much how I have written all of my books. People talk about writing a page or two every day, but I have a hard time switching gears. And so I do what I call “binge writing,” which translates to obsession. For years I had … More Down to the Wire
Just a quick word to let you know how National Novel Writing Month is progressing. After five days (yes, I know, I still have day left today. But it’s a busy day for me.) I am at 12,927 words out of 50,000. But more importantly, I am four and a half chapters away from completing … More Rolling, rolling, rolling
We all need excuses, for good or for bad. I find I always have an excuse not to write, whether it is conflicts at work, my favorite TV show, or getting honey-dos done at home. It’s when I think ahead and commit to a time period for my project that I get the most done. … More Cranking It Out
I was at our regular weekly meeting of the Rough Writers last Thursday, when I asked if any of the students there were planning on participating in National Novel Writing Month. Kaylee raised her hand. “What is it?” “During the month of November, you go to the NaNoWriMo website and pledge with 100,000 other people … More Yes Virginia, There Is an Insanity Clause
Well, I haven’t been posting later, and a lot of the reason for that is that I am embarrassed. National Novel Writing Month has started, but I haven’t. I signed up, mind you, but that’s as far as I have gotten. In the signing up part, they asked for a synopsis of my story. In … More Flummoxed
I am determined to be a part of NaNoWriMo this year. For those of you who don’t know, that’s National Novel Writing Month, where each November crazy people like me attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’ve done it three times, and have three books to share because of it. But there … More Tom Horn Rides Again
I just had a pleasant experience. I got a notice that Kevin Newsome, author of the great Christian suspense book WInter that I have reviewed previously, came by and read my review. It’s nice to know that other authors are out there, doing what I am doing, namely wondering what people are thinking about my … More On the Drawing Board
My good friend and fellow editor Randy Maxwell used to say, “Writers who are going to write will find a way, regardless of their circumstances.” That may be true, but there have been a lot better circumstances that what I have been through the past month. Last night ended my 30 days of madness entitled … More No Excuses
The Great Adventure 