Tag: Musing
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Part 1: This Side of the Fence
Note: As you may know, over the past few years I’ve been sharing aspects of my writing journey as I’ve completed, launched, & promoted two Oregon Meltdown companion novels. However, this week instead of posting about writing, I decided to share an excerpt of my published fiction. The following two chapters (≈ 3000 words) are…
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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…
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Now What?
You know those old, corny movies where a character wraps up some monumental task or other, then sits back with their hands folded behind their heads flashing a smile that rivals Jack Nicholson’s? Maybe digs out an old whisky bottle from a desk drawer & lifts a glass? Well, that’s sure as hell not me.…
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Soft Focus
Every now & then, I imagine easing into this last proofreading phase for my upcoming release, Core Haven, as if I were slipping into a hot tub on a winter day and letting the penetrating warmth soothe my aches and pains. At other times, I think of this leg of my self-publishing journey as a…
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Deep Dive
If somebody asks what I like most about writing, I’ll reply in a heartbeat, “Oh, ____, for sure” (as in, the current phase). That’s because I’m incapable of pinpointing why I willingly work on writing for the lion’s share of my scarce free time and more of my coveted sleep time than I care to…
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My Level Best
Given the maelstrom swirling around us here of late, I started questioning my resolve to post about my own publishing journey during the next few months. Yesterday the thought of even mentioning how the last polishing phase of my newest novel is going suddenly seemed trite and self-indulgent. Fortunately before dawn this morning, I found…
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And Then Along Came Substack
Update: A month or so ago, I decided to add Substack to my social media plate. Just finished setting everything up & published my first post. I’m including a copy of it below, along with the link info if you happen to be a current user on that platform or are interested in joining. I’ll…
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Spinning Plates, Revisited
About a year & a half ago, I started one of my published posts with the following: I remember as a kid watching a juggler balance more spinning plates on sticks & his body than I ever thought possible. While most everyone else in the crowd was fixated on another, more risqué, street festival act,…
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Deep Dive II
If somebody asks which part of my writing process I enjoy most, I say in all sincerity, “Oh, ____, for sure” (whichever phase I’m currently in). I mean, it’s impossible for me to pinpoint why I’m so eager to write for the lion’s share of my scarce free time & even sleep time. But the…
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The Beast Behind the Curtain
In my last post (The Beast), I wrote about grappling with the challenges of getting ready to launch my newest novel, Core Haven. I compared the task ahead to a beast lurking in a cave & imagined an old-timey character drawing a line in the dirt & calling that pesky critter out. I even came…
Drew Faraday
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The Beast
Don’t get me wrong, I really like challenges. That’s one of my favorite parts of writing—never a dull moment & all that. Learning new things on my own terms has always been a driver for me even when it involves going out on a limb. Take this website I’m posting on right now. Prior to…
Drew Faraday
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Brainteaser
Deciding on a release date for Core Haven, my newest novel, should be fairly straightforward, right? I mean, it’s not like I’m working on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle I bought at a garage sale without the original box or a guarantee that a few pieces weren’t missing. It’s just a matter of: But wait…what…
Drew Faraday
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Whittling Away
So I may have miscalculated a bit when I put my upcoming release Core Haven on ice & took a quick dive into the first prewriting stage of my next project. I’ll pass it off to thinking it’d be easy to adjust my proofreading filter to an idea-generating one & back again like I was…
Drew Faraday
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A Simple Feel to It
As I mentioned in my previous post (Shifting Gears), I just started the prewriting phase of my latest project while my recently completed novel refrigerates a bit. During last week’s work sessions—which were about as sporadic & choppy as you can imagine—I did my best to keep my brain in energetic gear two (Mithu Storoni…
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Shifting Gears
It’s no surprise that people frequently use gears & machinery as figurative language for describing all things human, but in the current book I’m reading, Hyper-Efficient, Mithu Storoni takes it up a notch. The neuroscientist & ophthalmic surgeon proposes that we all have three mental gears, the second of which is the sweet spot when…
