The Journal, Wednesday, 2/8

Hey Folks, Welp, I lost a subscriber. Either too little in yesterday’s Journal or too little about writing. Mea culpa. Sorry. I hope the guy will occasionally drop by the website to see what’s there. That being said, I can’t be ‘on’ all the time. Been there, done that, got the shirt. Maybe somebody can, but I can’t. So…. I’m expecting the novel to break loose and run any time, especially now that it’s taken on … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 2/7

Hey Folks, To the few of you who might have known him, Cololnel Robert “Bob” McCartan, USAF Retired, signed off on his last tour of duty last night in Tucson, Arizona. I first met the colonel several years ago at either the SSA Wrangling with Writing Conference in Tucson or at one of the several writing seminars I taught. It was my great honor and pleasure to call him Friend. After undergoing successful knee replacement surgery … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 2/6

Hey Folks, Wow. That has to have been the best super bowl ever. And I saw only two blatant penalties that could have been called on NE and weren’t (and one on Atlanta), so no asterisks by this game. Topic: Allowing Myself to Change My Mind Slow start this morning, which means… I was slow to decide which novel to open. As I wrote here yesterday, in public, I planned to cycle through The Claim, beginning … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 2/3

Hey Folks, I almost made this a topic, but it’s mostly rambling so I didn’t. Dean often says “Check in with yourself.” And I often do. I’ve checked back over a lot of my Journal entries (that’s what it’s for on this end), and I’m seeing what I suspected. I tend to do my fastest and cleanest writing in that limited few hours from around noonish to 4. (But not today.) This doesn’t mean I’m going … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 2/2

Hey Folks, Very short post today. For the past several early mornings, I’ve noticed a planet high in the sky. I kept wondering what it is, assumed either Jupiter or maybe Saturn. This morning, finally, I got my camera out and zoomed in on it. Just Venus. That was annoying. I’ve had several shots of Venus and was hoping for something new. Cold this morning, but at least the wind’s laid down for now. Without the … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 2/1

Hey Folks, For those who wonder (and thanks for your comments), my grandson Bryan is doing well. He’s working into a routine, spending about 4 hours per day reading and doing some self-study toward his GED. Yesterday he also started looking around and applying for jobs online. That is primarily to take up some of his current spare time vs. playing an online game he’s fond of. He recognizes his own weaknesses and limitations and is … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 1/31

Hey Folks, Yay! The last day of Janumary! Beginning tomorrow, the Total Fiction Words for the Year will actually be larger than the Total Fiction Words for the Month! Fingers crossed. (grin) It’s like sending up a rocket and watching as the booster falls away. Now I’m hoping for huge ignition on Stage 2. (grin) I have the daily word count goal in place to help me achieve it, and I have a great cast of … Read more

Restarting After a Layoff

Hi Folks, Sometimes we begin a new project with the best of intentions and then we set it aside for one reason or another. Maybe a life event rears its ugly head (death in the family or some other unforeseen event). Or maybe, in the case of my own recent restart, another story intervenes. As I noted below, I started The Marshal of Agua Perlado (the sequel to the Wes Crowley trilogy I originally wrote) back … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 1/30

Hey Folks, Almost. The month is almost over. Yay. I’m tired of seeing the number in Total for the Year matching Total for the Month. It’s like nothing’s moving. Today begins the GED course of instruction for my grandson. The plan is to write this morning, then begin his schooling later today. Well, during a brief break I looked over the GED course materials. There’s not a lot for me to do at first beyond basic … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 1/29

Hey Folks, Well, Sunday. Sunday mornin’ comin’ down. And I got a late start, thanks to waking up with mind twisted up and wrapped around a ball of crap. The “Today and Writing” segment is still below, but I won’t belabor you with an hourly accounting today. Or probably any day in the future unless something important happens that I think might be of interest. Just know that I’m now firmly trained to write while I’m … Read more