On the challenges of writing fiction

So I promised myself that I wouldn’t overschedule my time this summer,  because I wanted to have plenty of opportunity to finish a handful of creative projects I’ve been working on since forever. This is how I thought it would go:   But if you have been following along, you know that it has gone…

Don’t get me wrong, I love my work. I just wish people didn’t need it on their timetable instead of mine, which would include a nice leisurely lunch and perhaps a little nap. ### Dojo Wisdom for Writers, second edition, now available on Amazon in print and ebook! (Nook and other ebook versions here) Catch…

When you’re trying to solve a problem, you have to ask the right question. For the 100 choices list I posted yesterday, I began by thinking about how all of us could probably use a few extra bucks about now. I posed the problem this way: How can I make money this year as a…

I know many of you have been looking at the calendar, and I wanted to give a brief update about Jessica’s condition.  The surgery went well, and she is out of the ICU and in a regular med/surg bed at the hosptial.  She has been eating chicken strips and french fries and drinking as much…

 The most important story you’ll ever tell isn’t the one you commit to a page. It’s the one you tell yourself about your life. The other day, I was listening to a colleague tell me about the lack of support she was getting from her family as she pursued a freelance career. This is a…

So you know that I have been trying very hard to learn how to relax, which isn’t easy WHEN THE FATE OF THE FREE WORLD DEPENDS ON YOU, or at least, you know, someone has to buy the groceries around here. It is a curious fact of my life how often these two things feel…