What Should I Write? This is another of the questions I see often on writing forums is some version of “What Should I Write?” This one puzzles me. If you have no inspiration for some writing project, why are you a writer? Most writers I know have more ideas than they write. As I’ve written... Continue Reading →

Funny stories for some less than funny times! I've been working as a rideshare driver (Uber and Lyft) for almost five years.  That's 5,000+ rides!  Out of those rides have come some wonderful stories.  Funny stories, touching stories, stories that will make you scratch your head, there's even a little sex and money floating around!... Continue Reading →

A project for the year. I’ve mentioned before that I’m moving away from New Year’s Resolutions this year. Lots of reasons for that. That doesn’t mean I’m not trying to make progress, show growth, improve myself, whatever phrase you want to use for that kind of process. You’re either growing, or you’re dying. I’ve come close... Continue Reading →

What I Did On My Worldwide Pandemic, Chapter Two In my sixth week of semi-quarantine. I go somewhere other than my neighborhood once a week on average. Once a week to church to run the camera for our service stream, and sometimes to a nearby store. But it’s less than a dozen trips into the... Continue Reading →

Time for another swat at a hornet’s nest. Of all the recent trends in writing, one of my least favorite is how many book series there are these days. They drive me crazy. And I’ve had enough. Series suck. There I said it. And now the flames will descend upon my head, like mystical fires... Continue Reading →

Here’s another common question on the writer's forums I frequent: What software do you use to write your (whatever)? The simple answer is – use whatever is comfortable for you. The writing vehicle has no impact on your writing EXCEPT to the degree that it is comfortable/uncomfortable for you. Remember, Shakespeare wrote with a quill... Continue Reading →

Writing is a planned process, with a detailed outline of the story ready before the writer begins. Writing is a creative burst, inspired in the moment and created on the fly. Does one of those descriptions speak to you more than the other? If you approach your work through the first example you are a... Continue Reading →

My first audience is always me. I’m the first to meet the characters, to hear their stories, to explore their world. I wander through their lives, peering into closets and looking at what they keep under their beds. I watch them make decisions, make mistakes, make corrections. Their laughter is unheard until my ear hears... Continue Reading →

It’s a phrase used by authors to describe a lofty goal for their writing. An aspiration of achieving something profound, important, or lasting. A novel that will still have readers years from now. It has been the traditional pinnacle to climb, the acme of a writer’s career. At the same time, it is often used... Continue Reading →