Category: Newsletter
-
Won’t Somebody Write My Mother…
And Tell Her About the Shape I’m In Note: I wrote the original post on Substack, so I put the link above in case you already subscribe to that platform. OK, the title of this piece from “Goin’ Down Slow”1 reflects the latest chapter of what might be called The Writing Blues According to Drew.…
-
My Adventures in Serializing Continue
In my post a few weeks ago called “Episodes,” I shared a little about my newest endeavor on two platforms, Readerful & Wattpad. In large part, my goal is to feel more comfortable about the whole serializing/paywall process in preparation for following suit with my current work-in-progress novel at the end of this year or…
-
Rejection Can Simply Mean Redirection
Here of late, I’ve been noticing a substantial rise in the number of posts on various sites related to the age-old concept of rejection. Of course, given that I seem to be inextricably enmeshed in the writing world, the focus of those posts has been on the rejection of manuscripts, not romantic intentions. It may…
-
Episodes
(Mis)Adventures in the Serializing Universe I realize the history of serialized fiction is rich with examples of powerhouses (as in Dickens, Conan Doyle, King) and also rife with fizzles & failures (no names mentioned). In late September 2024, as I was finishing my second Oregon Meltdown companion novel, I decided to serialize it in order…
-
A Lesson Learned the Hard Way
A Desk, A Book Stand, and a Chair I learned an invaluable lesson at dawn yesterday that I’m confident I’ll remember for quite some time. A simple one, really, that many might find so inane and embarrassing as to be unworthy of mention except as a desperate, self-deprecating anecdote when a group conversation hits a…
-
Move Away from the Data
Digital Quicksand Just the other day, it dawned on me that I’ve allowed an annoying, counterproductive behavior to throw a monkey wrench into my well-being. Damn data, anyway. Even the realization that I’m not alone in feeling swept up into a whirlwind of data points won’t keep me from airing my grievances with my situation…
-
For Free
Standing On a Noisy Corner Some people wonder why, after publishing two companion novels, I bother posting here on my website, Substack, Medium, & elsewhere. You know, rah-rah, sis-boom-bah, focus on your current project, yada, yada. As you no doubt can guess, the lion’s share of those well-intentioned souls don’t write more than they feel…
-
The Joy of Detours
Not long ago while taking a quick break from writing to check on the business side of things, one email among the morning stampede caught my eye. Usually a random announcement of a deadline for even a respectable screenwriting competition would’ve resulted in a summary deletion on my part. However, for some unknown reason, I…
-
A Request for Advice from Editors & Writers Alike
How Do I Write Dialogue in the Age of AI? Author’s Note: Although I’ve written various snarky comments in the past about the crackdown on em dashes due to the adoption of AI by some writers (certainly not yours truly), this post is my honest request for help in figuring out how to move forward…
-
I Write My Fiction; I Revise My Work
Author’s Note: Please be advised that the two em dashes, two colons, two semicolons, & one ellipsis in the following piece were generated by this all-too-human author without the assistance of AI or even another human, for that matter. Oh yeah, and the hyphens, commas, periods, apostrophes, ampersands, & sentence fragments as well. I’d toss…
-
Side Trip
A Cinematic Two-Step In my last newsletter a fortnight ago, I wrote about some decisions I made concerning the wider distribution of my two Oregon Meltdown companion novels and my presence on social media going forward (Balancing Act, v 516, 5/16/26). Two weeks later, I feel much more comfortable with those decisions, as well as…
-
Balancing Act, v. 516
In my last newsletter a fortnight ago, I wrote about a few decisions I was in the process of making regarding my author’s journey (Inflection Point, Take 518, 5/2/26). This week’s installment centers on a couple significant changes I’ve since implemented & some decisions still residing in the penciled-in column. The first major update has…
-
Inflection Point, Take 518
So another fortnight has come & gone since my last post (see Stepping Back for a reference). And yes, two sets of forks in the road await me on this next leg of my author journey. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you might remember some of the struggles I’ve been experiencing while…
-
Spare Time (Episode 3)
A Snippet of Fiction, Final Installment Author Note: In case you haven’t read Episode 1 (posted on 4-4-26), or Episode 2 (posted on 4-11-26), here are the links: If you prefer reading “Spare Time” in its entirety, here’s a link to a separate post: [No AI was used in any aspect of the writing above,…
-
Spare Time (Episode 2)
A Snippet of Fiction Author Note: In case you haven’t read Episode 1 that I posted on 4-4-26, here’s a link: [No AI was used in any aspect of the writing above, the fiction piece below, anything else I’ve written, or anything I will ever write, for that matter.] Spare Time Episode 2 The silence…
-
Spare Time (Episode 1)
A Snippet of Fiction Episode 1 Author Note: After hiking through a local woodland and napping in the sunshine yesterday, I settled in at my desk to devote an hour to whatever came to mind. Writing eight hundred words without a game plan might not seem like much of a cause for celebration considering that…
-
Old Crow Books Newsletter Interview
Shout-out to Sue Robertson Danells for both this wonderful newsletter & the chance to be interviewed for the February edition. LINK Interview with Drew Faraday 1) What inspired you to become an author? I had the great fortune to grow up in a family where hard work and storytelling went hand in hand. As I…
-
Stepping Back
Even though I’ve been posting weekly for the past eight months or so, I decided to take last week off as part of a shift in my writing regimen. After more than a year of revising, formatting, promoting, & whatnot, I’m finally coming to terms with being burned out. And not just mildly so. I’m…
-
Balancing Act v. 131
I wonder how many times I’ve made some comment about the notion of balance or choice point over the past year. At the top of more than one post, I’ve included images of forks in the road, plates spinning on sticks, & tree branches. Yet here I am, addressing the concept once again as I…
-
Shout-out
This isn’t the first time I’ve given a shout-out to Lee Hall for the various & sundry ways he supports indie authors. I mean, the guy not only blogs, publishes his own novels, writes reviews of other indie books on his website, & shares snippets of wisdom & support on social media, but also maintains…