I came to Texas in 1998 with the intention of teaching Christian students how to write. Since that day, I have found joy in the occasional (read: rare) students who has a burden to write, get published, and most importantly, grow as a writer. I tell my students that writers never stop being students. Actually, … More Mind games
Of course, I am talking about ideas. They are those tricky little things that we can’t have enough of, that tend to show up at the weirdest times—like when we are washing dishes or mowing the lawn—and disappear about the time you are ready to use them. My good friend and fellow PUC alum Sam … More Where they come from…and where they go
On my Facebook page, I have the following quotation from T. M. McNally: “When you die, I believe, God isn’t going to ask you what you published. God’s going to ask you what you wrote.” Despite having a difference of opinion with McNally on what happens when we die, I believe there is something valid—and … More Is it enough to say the right thing?
When I was a magazine editor at Pacific Press, I used to say, “The best thing about editing a magazine is that there is always another issue. And the worst thing about editing a magazine is that there is always another issue.” They also used to advise us that the first issue of a new … More Feeding the beast
I spent the years of 1999 to 2004 working on my PhD. The last two years were spent almost entirely focusing on my dissertation. When I started the program, the advisor told all of us doctoral candidates that 80 percent of all doctoral students never finish, and to do so called for you to make … More It’s official. I’m done. Now what?
In my Visual Communication class, we have been studying the concept of gestalt. It’s hard for some students to pick up, but the essence of it is the concept of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Another way to look at it is to realize that sometimes things don’t make sense, … More The Blessing is in Being
Got two good writing days in with National Novel Writing Month, and I am finally above the daily average necessary to get to 50K by Nov. 30. My goal for today was to hit 20K and I am at 20174. So good for me! Actually I learned last year that I can write pretty fast … More Onward and upward
So National Novel Writing Month is entering its second week, and I am behind schedule. What, me worry? Not anymore. I toughed it out today and got within a couple a thou words of where I am supposed to be. Not sure of the quality of the writing, but hey. What can you expect? I … More The behinder I get, the hurrieder I go
He wasn’t the biggest man that Tom Horn had ever seen. Heaven knows; Tiny Angulfssen back in Saint Louis stood a hair’s breath short of seven feet and had shoulders like a Brahma bull. He once carried two full grown women, one on each shoulder. Of course, a lump of lead smaller than the … More “Vaya con Dios, Pancho Villa”
The title is in deference to the 50th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz,” which for those of you who live anywhere near Southwestern will be shown this Saturday night at Wharton Auditorium. But enough commercials. What I really want to talk about is the message behind the message. You know what I am talking … More “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
