Thursday, December 30, 2021
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Looking back at 2021...
It’s that time of year when I look back and do the year in review.
I accomplished a lot of stuff this year. More in some areas than I expected and less in others.
- I produced 2 audiobooks.
- I wrote 3 novels.
- I published 1 book (another is only weeks away).
- I wrote 6 short stories.
- I lost 30 pounds (gained 20 back in the last month during the holidays).
- I traveled A LOT more. (I even visited both my adult children finally).
- I went camping several times, even solo.
- I built things that made my home more excellent.
- I helped several fellow authors publish.
- I continued my weekly podcast on YouTube.
- I read 81 books. (paper, kindle, and audio)
- I took Tai Chi and Guitar Classes.
- I had my first Book Signing in 18 months.
- I listened to music I love every day.
- I made new friends.
- I donated Blood 4 times.
- I planted many trees.
- I said "I Love You" at least a thousand times.
--I'll call this year a win.
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Monday, December 6, 2021
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Friday, December 3, 2021
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Quotes of the Week
—Ray Bradbury
A writer always thinks the last version of his novel is best, until he reads it again.
--Unknown
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader's.
—Stephen King
Don't be a writer. Be writing.
—William Faulkner
When asked to whom a writer should provide servitude (critics, editors, publishers, the public, etc.), Jack London replied: "Beauty is the only master to serve."
—Jack London
The time to begin writing a story is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.
—Mark Twain
Remember to get the weather in your damn book — weather is very important.
—Ernest Hemingway
If your book doesn't keep you up nights writing it, it won't keep anyone up nights reading it.
—James A. Michener
The work is hard, the perks are few, the pay is terrible, and the product, when it’s finally finished, is pure joy.
—Mary Lee Settle
The more you read, the more you will write. The better the stuff you read, the better the stuff you will write.
—Annie Dillard—
Monday, November 29, 2021
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2021
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Friday, November 19, 2021
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Monday, November 15, 2021
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Friday, November 12, 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Monday, November 8, 2021
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Friday, November 5, 2021
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Monday, November 1, 2021
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Friday, October 29, 2021
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Monday, October 25, 2021
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Friday, October 22, 2021
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Quotes Of the Week
—Marilyn Monroe
Don't be a writer. Be writing.
—William Faulkner
The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat's mat is a story.
—John le Carré
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
—E.L. Doctorow
The mere habit of writing, of constantly keeping at it, of never giving up, ultimately teaches you how to write.
—Gabriel Fielding
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
—Anton Chekhov
Work finally begins when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly.
—Alain de Botton
Let the readers do some of the work themselves.
—Fyodor Dostoevsky
Monday, October 18, 2021
The Airstream
This is a new feature on the Blog. I will be providing images that will hint at things that will happen in the project I am currently writing.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Friday, October 15, 2021
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Quotes of the Week.
—Ernest Hemingway
The idea of just wandering off to a cafe with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me is just bliss.
—J.K. Rowling
I try to pull the language into such a sharpness that it jumps off the page…. It must look easy, but it takes me forever.
—Maya Angelou
Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale. Inspire them.
—Frank McCourt
Monday, October 11, 2021
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Friday, October 8, 2021
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Quotes of the Week
—Ernest Hemingway
If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write.
—Anaïs Nin
You need that conviction that you are brilliant, this is the greatest idea that anybody has ever had, and that by writing it you will set the world on fire.
—Neil Gaiman
All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without story, there is no screenplay.
—Syd Field
The only thing that makes one an artist is making art. And that requires the precise opposite of hanging out; a deeply lonely and unglamorous task of tolerating oneself long enough to push something out.
—David Rakoff
The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.
—Sylvia Plath
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
—Steven King
Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.
—Jimmy Stewart
Monday, October 4, 2021
Scenes From My Current Project: Time Enough
This is a new feature on the Blog. I will be providing images that will hint at things that will happen in the project I am currently writing.
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Friday, October 1, 2021
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Quotes of the Week
—Stephen King
The trouble with fiction is that it makes too much sense, whereas reality never makes sense.
—Aldous Huxley
Write one good clean sentence and put a period at the end of it. Then write another one.
—M.F.K. Fisher
One must be ruthless with one’s own writing or someone else will be.
—John Berryman
There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.
—Terry Pratchett
Maybe the hardest thing in writing is simply to tell the truth about things as we see them.
—John Steinbeck
I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations. They generally produce their worst work when they do that.
—David Bowie
Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can’t use the wrong words.
—Virginia Woolf
Anytime you write something, you go through so many phases...“I'm a Fraud' phase.” ...“I'll Never Finish” phase. And...once in a while you think, “What if I actually have created what I set out to create, and it's received as such?”
—Lin-Manuel Miranda
Monday, September 27, 2021
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Quotes of the Week
--George Herbert
You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.
--Evan Esar
Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
--Carrie Fisher
The hardest thing when you think about focusing. You think focusing is about saying "Yes." No. Focusing is about saying "No." And when you say "No," you piss off people.
--Steve Jobs
We do what we must, and call it by the best names.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else.
--James Thorpe
Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
--Earl Mac Rauch
Sanity is a madness put to good use.
--George Santayana
Don't live in a town where there are no doctors.
--Jewish Proverb
Monday, September 20, 2021
ON SUPER-SALE NOW!!
Hardcover is currently on sale for $8 while supplies last!
--Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover, and Audible Editions!
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Friday, September 17, 2021
Monday, September 13, 2021
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Friday, September 10, 2021
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Quotes of the Week
—Jackie Collins
You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.
—Ray Bradbury
There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.
—Beatrix Potter
Start writing. I don't mean to sound dismissive, but START WRITING. There is NO SUCH THING as "too late" in the arts.
—Patton Oswalt
Don't be a writer. Be writing.
—William Faulkner
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
—Jack London
Sunday, September 5, 2021
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Friday, September 3, 2021
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)