There are two typical ways of starting to writing a book. The classic way that people envision–and the way I actually started–writing books is you sit down at a desk with a laptop (or a typewriter, since I started in the Stone Age), and just start typing. The words flow from your psyche and you … More Logistics: Getting from Point A to Anywhere Else
I admire artists whose work is larger than they are. What made me start thinking along these lines was thinking about Mount Rushmore. Shelly and I have been talking about doing another road trip sometime in the next few months, and we have never been to Mount Rushmore or to the Black Hills of South … More Larger Than Life
I will have to admit, there have been many times when I have cut corners with my own writing. I would have a flow of consciousness that I was following in my story, only to hit a speed bump when I got to a certain word that I wanted–but couldn’t think of. And that is … More Master of the Word
I put quote marks around the words “making it,” because the idea of “making it” or “success” vary somewhat from writer to writer. It’s kind of like being “rich.” If you talk to several people who you consider rich and ask them if they consider themselves rich, most would say no. Or the term “old.” … More 10 Steps to “Making It” As a Writer
I woke up at 1:30 last night with an idea for a blog. I had a title and everything. I told myself, “Write it down; you’ll forget it otherwise.” And then I thought, I don’t want to get out of bed to write something stupid down. Besides, if I make a mental note of it, … More Stuff I Can’t Remember
I haven’t been able to do any work on my book projects lately because of my other duties. I am frantically trying to complete the last few articles for my university’s alumni magazine. The articles are due Friday, and from the beginning, when I went into the Planning Committee meeting with one idea and came … More The Ugly Stepchild
I was listening to NPR this morning while I was in pursuit of a rumor of free firewood (a story for another time). They were talking about research on happiness. The question came up: does having children REALLY make you happier? Research showed that the acts involved in taking care of children actually ranked pretty … More Happiness Is a Warm Keyboard
My father worked as a machinist for General Electric for about 30 years. Several times he had the opportunity to get a promotion and become a supervisor, but turned it down. He had his own shop at GE, and liked to run it his way. He used to tell me to “leave the job at … More Meditation vs. Multitasking
I am excited to announce that I finally passed 10,000 followers on Twitter. Now, I know that probably doesn’t mean much to you, and actually all it is is just a number. But it is a landmark of sorts, nevertheless. I have been involved with Twitter for about three years now, but it’s only been … More Ten Thousand Reasons
I’d like to start off today’s blog by recommending another website: whereiwrite.org. I urge you to visit this website for your own curiosity’s sake and see Kyle Cassidy’s project to report and share the places where several well-known fantasy and science fiction writers crank out their masterpieces. What you will find is that is varies … More Where I Write
The Great Adventure 