The Day Rolled out just before 3 a.m. Back to reality. Still recovering from the camping trip. For a full day and the better part of a night, Dan and I were alternating between the low of being exhausted and the high of repeated adrenaline rushes. That sort of thing wore me out when I was 30. I’m a little older than that now. (grin) So I messed around the house a bit, went for a … Read more
The Day Rolled out just before 4:30 (Arizona time) in New Mexico, north of Lordsburg. No checking email. No Internet. Just reality. Great trip, but Dan and I experienced three days of excitement and adventure in about 8 hours. Topic of the Night: Refilling the Well I write from experience, as do most of us. Or at least near experience. I experience things, then put my characters in those situations, then extrapolate out from there. But … Read more
The Day Rolled out at a little after 1. Checked email and took care of some other housekeeping type matters. Had another good walk this morning. I set out to do 6, but with various side trips to line up pics, I ended up with just under seven and a half miles. Great walk. And so far I can still move. (grin) Went out about 4:15, was at the two mile mark (per the road signs) … Read more
The Day Rolled out at 2. Checked email, then did some things with an old friend’s website. Cleaned it up a bit. Had another good walk this morning. Just under 4.5 miles out along a rural road out here. I used to walk in town but I don’t care for getting bit by all the “good” dogs out there who “wouldn’t harm a fly, really.” Right. Checked Dean’s blog. More on that in the topic of … Read more
The Day Rolled out at 1. Spent an hour or so just waking up, checking out a few websites. I shouldn’t do that. Most often when I look at other websites that have anything to do at all with writing I am disappointed or flat out annoyed. JA Konrath is an avid supporter of Amazon Kindle Unlimited. For some reason, he apparently sees nothing wrong with supporting Amazon’s drive toward a monopoly. Another famous guy constantly … Read more
The Day Rolled out a little after 2. Well, first, very pleased to report all three of my blogs are now in one central location. In the upper right corner of my new website, you can now click a link to subscribe to the Story of the Week, The Daily Journal, and/or The Main Blog (Pro Writers category). When you subscribe, your email address will be added to whichever list(s). If you’re subscribed to The Main … Read more
Hi Folks, Dean Wesley Smith is the professional long-term fiction writer whom I consider my mentor. He’s made his living with his fiction for over 3o years and has well over 100 novels published through traditional publishers. This is back before traditional publishers lost their minds and made their contracts completely one-sided. I emailed Dean about my most recent (at the time, back in November, 2014) short story, “Saving the Grenlow”: “Seriously doubt I’m up to … Read more
Yeah, sort of. If you’re a writer, you need resources, and the fact is, I’m a good one. I’ve recently revamped the Writers’ Resources listing in the right sidebar of my page. That sidebar contains a list of copyeditors as well as various useful tools: several dictionaries for everything from slang to sex; language translators and conversion resources for measurements, mileage, money and more; invaluable information for would-be independent publishers; character naming conventions; free apps; free … Read more
First, a public service announcement, especially for avid readers: if you’re going to be in or near Green Valley on December 6, I hope you’ll stop by to see me and a lot of other local and regional authors at the annual Meet the Authors Book Fair. That’s next Saturday, December 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Desert Hills Lutheran Church at 2150 South Camino Del Sol in Green Valley. I’ll have my new … Read more
Hey Folks, A few strong resources— If you’re serious about your work as a writer, check these out: http://deanwesleysmith.com—The resource-rich website of Dean Wesley Smith, my own unintentional mentor and one of the most prolific writers in America. While you’re there, check out the Think Like a Publisher and Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing tabs. I also recommend checking out his Online Workshops tab and his Lecture Series tab. Also while you’re there, remember that … Read more