Tag: Musing
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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…
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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…
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Problem-Solving
Any Chance a Third Way Exists? Does anybody else get the sense that much of the debate surrounding the use of AI in writing/publishing/creating is quickly devolving into a no-win, rage-baiting exercise some might say is reflective of current political divides throughout the world? Although I’ve been wide open about my decision not to use…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…