My story “Keep Talking” has just been released in the December issue of Apex Magazine. Gerald’s stomach clenched as he approached his daughter, Sarah. She sat at her computer, her back to the world, as intent as a cat scenting a mouse. “Sweetie, I have some big news.” She sucked on Read more…
“I’ve got to be writing. I have a few ways to make sure I can carve out time. Part One: Neglect everything else” -David Mitchell (quoted in The Atlantic.) Like most writers, I don’t write enough. I have a goal to write one hour every day. I have met that Read more…
Despite its never having worked, ever, I frequently do this: This works much better: Punishing yourself doesn’t work. Did you eat all your veggies when your parents made you stay at the table until you did? Me neither. I stayed up all night in a cold kitchen, and I Read more…
A catless writer is almost inconceivable. It’s a perverse taste, really, since it would be easier to write with a herd of buffalo in the room than even one cat; they make nests in the notes and bite the end of the pen and walk on the typewriter keys. ~Barbara Read more…
What will the future hold? Let us journey to the year 2055 via my mind! “Sitting at a computer” is as quaint an idea as listening to serials around a credenza-sized radio. Or staring at a dedicated “television” screen. Everything is mobile and tactile and implanted. Consequently, people are much Read more…
New Year’s Resolutions: 1. Stop wasting time on blogging. 1. Write. 1. Write a lot. 1. Write 1,000 words a day. 1. Write 50,000 words every month. 1. Write 1,000 words every single day, weekends and holidays, too. 1. Just finish what you write. 1. Finish all those short stories Read more…
For the purposes of this post, stories are vases. Not all vases are the same, though. One problem with soliciting advice for improving your story can be that the person you talk to wants a different vase altogether. “I wrote a heartwarming human-interest story!” “It needs more action.” “Here’s Read more…