Necessity is the mother of invention. –English Proverb I was in my car this evening, driving back home after dropping my grandsons off, when Paul Simon came on the radio singing his song, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover.” To paraphrase a section of the song, he has a woman trying to convince him that … More Fifty Ways to…Write a Book
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
Face it. Sometimes writing is hard work. Actually, a lot of times it’s hard. When you have to drag yourself out of bed early in the morning to have some time to work on that novel, that’s not always so fun. When the words don’t come, that’s not fun. And when you’re sitting in front … More When the Story Comes to You
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller. Thomas Nelson. 257 pages. I really like Donald Miller’s writing. I like his philosophy and his approach toward life and Christianity. I first came in contact with him several years ago when I read his book, Blue … More Review: “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller
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
Every good idea I ever had, I stole from someone else. –Me I mentioned Paul McCartney recently, and the documentary on Hulu about him and his life with the Beatles. In it, he talks a lot about the ideas that came to them that ended up in their songs. Sometimes it had to do with … More The Source of All Ideas
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
I’ve been writing a long time. Two dozen published books, a handful of awards, and several hundred articles and short stories published leads my students and fans to ask a lot of questions. And one of the questions that comes up pretty often is: “Where do you get the ideas for your books?” Well, the … More How It All Starts
Years ago, when I was a magazine editor, I was in New York City at Folio Magazine meetings. We were starting our own magazine, and were there to gather as much sage advice as we could before we were swallowed up by the production machine. I remember the advice one editor gave us: “The hardest … More The Hardest Chapter to Write
The Great Adventure 