After a year of not writing, I am back in front of the keyboard, working on book #26. I use the term working loosely for two reasons. First, because like most writers, I am finding every excuse in the book to procrastinate and do everything else but write. I tolerate that to a certain degree … More Shaking off the Cobwebs
I’ve been staring at the last two chapters of my latest book project, and I know what I need to write. But I have stage fright. I know exactly what needs to go there, and after months of labor, it’s exciting to know that I am that close to finishing the rough draft. And yet, … More The Easiest–and Hardest–Chapters to Write
Let me tell you a story about a book, a bear, and a beginning editor. Back in the 90s. I was just getting started as a book editor. I was given the assignment of editing a children’s book. It was one of my first books, and to my elation, it was a very good book. … More The Woeful Story of Pepper Bear
Life is what happens while you’re making other plans. — John Lennon There’s the dreamer’s view of the writer’s life: the writer wakes up about nine-ish, gets some coffee and sits down to write. After a day of literary masterful material flowing magically from his or her laptop, he wanders off to spend time in … More Life, or Something Like It
I’ve been watching the six-episode documentary on Hulu entitled “McCartney: 3, 2, 1” that is an extensive interview with Paul McCartney about his life with the Beatles and the music they created. It’s a fascinating look at the craft of creating music from a master, and I highly recommend it. But as I’ve been watching … More Layers: Making Your Story More Complex
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would rather receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” –Hebrews 11:8 One. More. Week. After 23 years in the classroom, and 43 years in my career, I am closing up shop. I have one … More The Last Shall Be First
I write a lot of books. And many of those are indie published. And indie books don’t have the best reputation when it comes to editing. So I try to do a lot of research on my books. The book I just finished–Never Say Die–involved a lot (a lot) of historical research having to do … More Hey, I’m not perfect. (But I try to be.)
I just sent in an email. It was addressed to our person in charge of HR, our university president, our academic dean, and my department chair. In it, I officially announced my retirement as of June 30, 2021. I know it’s still early, but I hate leaving things unresolved. And the indecision has been driving … More The E-mail
A week or so ago, I “finished” the first draft of a book I have been wanting to write for several years. It was a massive undertaking, and as with several other books that I have written before, part of the reason why I hadn’t written it before is because I was somewhat intimidated by … More When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough
I am a regular contributor to Quora.com, the website that answers all your questions and asks you to contribute answers–if you have any. As a decades-long writer and someone who teaches writing, you can guess what I answer questions about. One of the questions that I get frustrated with are people who continually ask how … More Writing and the Value of Downtime
The Great Adventure 