I have a pet that is very ill. My dog, Cooper, is having seizures. They started about a year ago. My wife and I were home one afternoon when his eyes suddenly grew wide, his legs splayed and his claws were flexed tense. We tried to keep him calm until the seizure ended about 30 … More The Elephant in the Room
I just finished completing my evaluation of a book by one of my former students. It was, all in all, a very good book. In fact, I hope to see it in print one day. But one of the questions I had at the end is the inevitable “So What? question. Sure it was entertaining. … More What Themes to Be the Problem?
Someone, I think it was Ernest Hemingway, gave the advice that writers should first go out and live outrageously for 20 years before they start writing. The point there was that one has to have some experience to write from before one can write seriously. Maybe that’s why so many of my writing students want … More The Wellspring of Significance
I don’t think I am alone when I tell the truth that there was always something in me that wanted to change the world. However, you see the world–in need of God, unfair, abusive, frightening–I believe that everyone has a desire to change it. Writers are slightly different because most of us believe that one … More Changing the world…one story at a time
I’m a relative rookie when it comes to independent publishing. I’ve actually only been doing this since January, 2012. And in the past four months, I have learned a great deal. One of the cardinal rules I have learned about marketing my books is that the two biggest things you can do to help sales … More Tom Horn Gets a Facelift
As I have mentioned here many times before, I’m teaching a Narrative Writing class this semester that is presently winding down. In addition to requiring students to write the first 50 pages of a novel as well as the outline, they will have an essay final. One of the questions on the final I have … More Can you believe it?
What are you really afraid of? … More Embrace the Fear
Good, bad or ugly, the last few weeks I have been able to crank out the first eight chapters of a YA fantasy novel (Crash Corrigan) and two short stories (The Well of Souls and This Twisted Thing Called Love). The novel was a spur of the moment idea; the short stories have been on … More And for my next trick….
Professor Mason Mainbridge worked long into the night, as was his custom, even though his was the only light on in Hazard Hall. He found that he got his best work down after everyone else went home to their wives and husbands, their pets and their children. Mainbridge didn’t have a wife, and he certainly … More “The Well of Souls”
One of the challenges of following your muse is that you are totally dependent on your muse continuing to provide you with ideas. I started my project “Crash Corrigan” with a totally different name for the book and an unclear path as to how to get from point a to point b, or even where … More And now….?
The Great Adventure 