I'm Floundering With My 2023 Goals, But There's Still Time To Get Back On Track

 It's hard to believe that we are almost done with January 2023. Wasn't it just New Year's Day?

Well if you're like me, you had some heartfelt goals for 2023 - especially as it relates to writing. Are you also like me and floundering just a bit in these opening weeks of the new year?

Sure. It's ok to face up to it. It's still early, though. More than enough time to get back on track. One of my goals was to write a first draft of a short story each month - 12 stories by the end of the year.

So.... I still have almost two weeks to flesh out my story for January.

And here is the idea I have been toying with since about mid-December: a middle-aged cook with literary aspirations tries to recreate one of his grandmother's recipes one day at work while trying to make sense of his most-recent failed relationship.

At least that's what I have so far. I'm neurotic to a fault. I have jotted down a good amount of notes, even toyed with a few variations for a first line. But, I've been stuck on a detail: my protagonist's name.

Today was my day off at work. A day off means sleeping in a little, then errands: checking my post office box and visiting the book store. Two of my magazines were in my box: The Writer and Entrepreneur.

I bought eight books at the book store. I can't help it. Today's haul: pigeon feathers and other stories, by John Updike; Independence Day, by Richard Ford; Babbit, by Sinclair Lewis; Saint Maybe, by Anne Tyler; My Heart Laid Bare, by Joyce Carol Oates; The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, Poems for Men, Robert Bly, James Hillman and Michael Meade, editors; Write Away, One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, by Elizabeth George; and 140 Characters, a Style Guide for the short Form, by Dom Sagolla.

If you want to be a writer, you must read and read and read some more. Can't say that enough. It helps that I love to read. 

3 Creative Writing Bits Of Wisdom To Inspire You

One of the privileges of being a college instructor is having an office. One of the practices on my campus involves instructors decorating their doors with posters, sayings, etc. I decided to add some creative writing quotes and wisdom on my door. Here are some I culled from my Internet search:

"If I waited till I felt like writing, I'd never write at all." - Anne Tyler

This is so true. Writing is scary - especially when you are in the midst of a dry spell, when nothing you write sounds right, when all you can come up with is crap. But write anyway. Write crap till the magic returns.

"I'm a writer. Anything you say or do may be used in a story."

I love this. I found this unattributed nugget and had to include it. Lesson one for beginning writers is this quote. You use EVERYTHING you encounter in your day-to-day happenings to fuel your writing. I tell my students this story all the time. Two of my daughters were arguing over clothes once. Really frustrating. So...I wrote a scene in my Mall Demons Series where two characters, sisters, are arguing over a blouse. The climactic scene involved one of the sisters being eaten by a demon because of what she did to her sister. 

Lastly (for now),

"Sometimes only paper will listen to you."

Another unattributed saying that empowers any and all who have something to say but feel they have no outlet for their words. Maybe the people in your life won't listen, but your friend, the paper you are writing on, or the screen you are typing on, will listen. And that is a wonderful thing. So...write.

How Do You Keep Writing? Write Crap

What do you do if you run out ideas?

How do you keep writing? Something inside you says you're a writer. I can do this. I will make it. I know I have something to say that readers will value. I know it. I feel it in my bones.

Is that you? Is that what you've said to yourself? But we stop writing. We stop. When we stop, who is stopping our dream of writing for a mass audience? Simple. We are. Better yet. Insert "I" into the statement.

"I stopped my writing."

Take responsibility. Then, write. Write crap. Write crap today, tomorrow, next week, next month. Write crap for a year... until you don't write crap. Just write. Write, write, write. Let the crap out.

Truth be told, some of what's published is.... wait for it.... crap.

Writing Prompt: Obama Lets Texas Secede!

What if President Obama decided to address all the White House Petitions out there, including those asking that certain states (Texas) be allowed to leave the union?

Sounds like a great writing prompt for speculative fiction writers.

I know, it's definitely fantasy, modern fantasy, to think that any of these petitions could ever turn to real action. Here is where fantasy writers step in. Craft a story where the impossible happens. 

Yahoo has an interesting piece on the "11 ridiculous White House Petitions."

Set your timer for 15 minutes, and write about it. You never know, you could have a story.

Writing With Your Eyes Closed Takes A Good Memory

I must confess I was feeling pretty lazy today. But, it's hard to feel lazy when you have a story in your head. I'm an expert at it, though.

Part of my problem today is that I'm struggling with a cold. I'm a major wimp when I'm sick. All I want to do is get under the covers and do nothing. I can't just lie there, though. I must create. So, I run through scenes in my mind with my eyes closed.

Maybe you're brain doesn't work that way, but I've been able to develop a skill of working out my next scene with my eyes closed. This only works if you can remember what you've done during such a session. I've learned enough about memory to understand that I must create a well-worn path so that I can remember my scene. 

If you're interested in terminology, what I'm talking about is a neural trace. I teach this to my freshmen students. Bottom line, it takes repetition. How's it work with my scene development? Like this:

In my mind's eye I create the scene I'm working on. I place my characters where they need to be. I construct the setting and then press play like I'm watching a DVD. I only go so far. I keep it to one scene. No scene changes. 

Everyone has their moments of dialogue. I throw in some narration, etc. Then, I press replay. I run through the entire scene again. Then, I press replay again and again and again and again. I may fall asleep pressing replay, but when I wake, I have the scene still in my head because I've developed a neural trace to come back to by repetition.

Over a week of being lazy, I might run through the same scene dozens of times. When I see something new to add, I do it. Eventually, I must write this down, but this mental skill has helped me keep working on a story when, for example, I'm lazy or sick and just don't want to sit at the keyboard.

Writing Prompt: Alternate History for July 4th

What if July 4th wasn't what we here in the United States know as Independence Day? What if history had turned out differently?

That's what writing Alternate History fiction is all about. I've been watching old episodes of "Sliders" lately. With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, it got me to thinking about writing an Alternate History short where July 4th is quite different from what it is now.

I don't know yet what that means, but I'll be exploring that concept over the next week. Have you ever tried writing Alternate History? If not, why not give it a shot - even if it's a flash fiction piece. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Then speed write. Simply ask one basic question to get you flowing: "What if...?"

What if the American colonies had never revolted?
What if Rome had never fallen?
What if a famous person's grandfather and grandmother had never met?
What if a young Bill Gates had decided to move to L.A. and start a hair band instead of go into computers?

Whatever. Just start with "What if...?" You never know what intriguing story you might stumble upon.

Random Thoughts – Writers Are Like Everyone Else

Source: MicroSoft

I'm talking about writers. We make poor decisions every day. We’re egotistical, narcissistic, too. We are stubborn, selfish. Gosh, we’re lazy, as well. Let’s not forget moody – talk about drama queens, lol.

We don’t like taking responsibility for our actions. We are conflict avoiders, which ultimately turns us into bitter, complaining (or maybe grumbling is a better word) cowards at best, or scheming backstabbers at worst.

We love to point out the bad in others without ever looking at the bad in ourselves (because obviously they are worse than us). We hate whiners but love to whine. Of course WE have good reasons.

Having said all that, I mean to say writers are like everyone else on this planet. Yes, there is good in us, too. But it’s all this other junk that I’m thinking about now. Why? Although we are like everyone else in that we’re flawed, creative writers are different in one way: we can take all this ugliness and create stories.

We use the brain’s power of creativity to put last night’s bad decision into context. Somehow, if we’re lucky, we may then come to some sort of closure regarding our foolishness. If we're really lucky, we learn from our mistakes (Still working on that one).

Hmmm. I don’t know. Just free writing. Now, back to being lazy…

Sometimes You Just Gotta Dance

This weekend I felt like I was 20 years old again. My wife and I went out for a night of dinner and dancing. We got a babysitter so that we could go out. Yes!

It was amazing. I realized over the last decade or so that I have been holding back. Do you know what I'm talking about? Before we had children, my wife and I used to know how to have fun. We were party animals. Then.... we were domesticated, so to speak. On Saturday, I didn't think of myself as a father. I thought of myself only as a man on a date with the most beautiful woman in the world.

She is by the way.

And the most amazing thing happened. We forgot about being a dad or a mom. We forgot about all that responsibility. We just had fun. We let loose. And it was awesome!!!! As a writer, this was a wonderful experience. 

The more you experience, the more you can write about with authority. This weekend I experienced firsthand how a character can change. This is important if you want your protagonist to evolve through the story. 


So... my advice is to live! Pay attention. And if you're in a rut in life, be brave enough to make a change. It will help your writing.

5 Things To Do When (and if) You Are Not Writing

You should write all the time. 

Having said that, I know sometimes we just won't be writing. If you are at one of these rare moments as a writer when you aren't writing, then there are by my count 5 things you should be doing besides writing. These are the only 5 activities I don't feel guilty doing instead of writing.

OK, maybe I feel a little guilty, but I get over it...usually.

So what are these five things? Fine, here they are:

1. Researching - Got an idea for a historical thriller set in biblical times, but you know nothing about ancient civilizations? Doing a little research on the times, how people lived, etc., is essential. In my second book of the Mall Demons Fantasy Series, I take readers back to the time of the biblical Noah. Although I know the story, I did research on everything from what ancient people wore, what they ate, how they farmed and traded, as well as, when they married. WARNING: If you're researching, set a time limit or deadline. Once you reach that limit or deadline, stop researching and start writing. The temptation is to keep researching until you know EVERYTHING about your topic. You'll never know everything. If you try, you'll never stop researching and start writing.
2. Reading - This is the activity I do most when I'm not writing. Why? You can't truly grow as a writer if you don't read. Makes no sense to want to write (a craft that relies on words), but not want to read (an activity that familiarizes you with words). This is the one activity that I will schedule in my day, like writing. I must read every day: fiction, nonfiction, newspapers, magazines. This helps me learn how to be a better writer. I often see how another writer describes a tree or someone's face and it gives me ideas how I can do the same. Can't stress how important reading is for writers. Reading is fundamental.
3. Living - I'm a big fan of experience. The more you do in life, the more you can write about with authority. Reading and research can compensate for experience. I'll admit that. However, experience will go a long way towards giving you confidence in your writing. I can set a story in Austin, Texas, describing the city or a neighborhood park with confidence because I have experienced many, many years of life there. I can create a character who is an Army veteran, knowing I will make him realistic because I was a soldier for eight years. I can write a scene showing the birth of a child because I witnessed the birth of all my children firsthand...and I did not faint. My advice: don't forget to live. write a lot; read a lot; but don't sacrifice life. Get out of your house or apartment. Turn off your computer. Take a walk outside. Meet real people. Live.
4. Resting - On December 1st last year, I didn't bother to write one sentence. I didn't write a sentence the next day or the next. I was resting. It was my sabbatical, if you will. I had just spent all of November writing a novel draft, 50,000 words. I was drained. After such a frenzied period of writing activity, I felt I needed a well-deserved rest to recharge. That was OK. Don't abuse this. I do not allow myself to say, "I wrote today for 10 minutes. Now I can take tomorrow off."
5. Thinking - If you're not writing, you should be thinking of writing. Bottom line. Whether you are researching, reading, living or resting, you should be thinking about writing. End of discussion. If you are a writer, you must write or be thinking of writing. Human nature is too easily corrupted. We will compromise in a heartbeat. You can't compromise your craft. If you're not writing, you're not a writer.

What do you think? Agree with these 5 things? Have your own activities to add to the list? Share!

Survived The Holidays: Time To Write That Urban Fantasy Novel

Christmas is over for another year. The kids are still home for the holidays, which means the homestead is quite chaotic. I've taken a break from blogging and tweeting the last few days. It felt great to unplug. I have been reading and spending time with the kids, but I am feeling the pull to get back to business.

Last night I proofed one of my works in progress. I also learned a few tricks using Microsoft Word that helped me with my manuscript. I'll talk more about that later. Still waiting for a response from the Amazon folk regarding my request to designate my e-book, "Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee," as a Kindle Single. Supposed to take up to two weeks to get a response. Figure the holidays will lengthen the process a bit.

If you have a Kindle or have the Kindle App for your computer, smartphone, etc., please check out "Death Speaks.." It's only 99 cents.

One Thing You Can Do in 2012 To Be A Better Writer

As I wrote in my last blog, I'm thinking of New Year's resolutions for writers. A Top Ten List for me, at least, if not for other writers. But a list for me will more than likely speak to other writers since we all share some of the same bad habits.

With that in mind, one of my proposed resolutions for writers is this: Read more books.

I still remember my creative writing professor in college offering up that bit of advice. Recently, I challenged the students in my creative writing group to do the same. Still, I believe for some of us reading is a challenge. We don't read enough. In the last two weeks I've read two books, started a third and halfway through it couldn't force myself to finish it, and now am on to a fourth book. 

In a Writer's Digest article from July, THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF WRITING, not reading books was listed as number six. In the article M.J. Rose, author of The Hypnotist is credited with offering this bit of advice:

Reading is essential for writers. Rose cited a study that said that 23 percent of people in the United States want to be writers. If all of them read 10 books a year, Rose said, “We’d all be doing a lot better.”

So, how much do you read? Would reading more books be a good New Year's resolution for you?

Five Household Chores You Can Do While Writing Your Novel

It's Saturday and in my house that means chore time. I am also trying to finish preparing my manuscript so I can publish it on Amazon.com. My wife will have a honey-do list ready to go for me if I don't take the initiative to "volunteer" for several chores. That's why I sat down and brainstormed this list of chores I can get done while also working on my manuscript and other writing. So, here's my list of five writer-friendly chores. Hopefully, they will inspire you in your writing endeavors.

Five Household Chores You Can Do While Writing

1. Fold that overflowing basket of clothes - I'm stretching this one out because it so happens that my clothes are at the bottom of the basket. The kids' clothes are piled on top. Plan: Sit on the couch with my netbook typing away while "supervising" the kids as they fold their clothes. This will take them at least 45 minutes to an hour. It will take them half the day if my wife and I leave them unsupervised. See the beauty of my plan. It gives me time to type before I can even get to my clothes.

2. Volunteer to shampoo the carpet - It really needs it. Disgusting! My wife is excited about me volunteering for this one. She's so excited that she's going to the store to rent the shampoo machine herself. My wife also has more Christmas shopping to do, so she's going to do it all in one trip. That's at least a 2-3 hour trip. As soon as she gets back with the supplies, I'll be psyched to get the shampooing done. Until she returns, I might as well write.


3. Prepare the recycling for pick up - My wife hates going through junk mail, newspapers, etc. Absolutely hates it. Super hubby to the rescue. It's another task I can perform largely while sitting on the couch with netbook within arm's reach. Throw in the occasional 10-15 minute writing break, and well, you get the picture.


4. Wash the dishes - I understand. You're thinking this one is like gross. But, I can fly through dishes. Just one of those chores I can do in half the time anyone else can in my house. That's about 15 minutes of mindless repetitive handiwork. Mindless is good because I often "write" in my mind before I sit to write on the computer. So, I wash dishes and map out my next scene for my novel...and I get softer hands to boot!


5. Cooking dinner - Don't cook? Well, you're missing out on some wonderful creativity time. I can do wonders with a pound of ground turkey, four boxes of mac n cheese and three cans of green beans. It's a kid favorite! I get a guaranteed 45 minutes (or an hour if I stretch it) in the kitchen. My netbook is small enough to fit on the counter next to the microwave. Stir the noodles. Type. Stir the noodles. Type. Stir the noodles again. Type, type, type. LOL!

That should keep me busy this Saturday. By the way, I wrote this blog entry while supervising my kids folding clothes. See, it works! Good luck with your day!

NaNoWriMo Is Finally Here!

As I write this, I am watching the clock. It's 1 a.m. on Oct. 31. In less than 24 hours, I will be well into my first 1,667 words of National Novel Writing Month. 


That is my plan for each of the 30 days of the competition: Write 1,667 words a day. To prepare for the next four weeks of feverish writing, I have over the last week or so taken a sabbatical from serious writing. My thoughts were if I stopped writing, I'd store up the muse and unleash her on Nov. 1.


I've done some outlining and daydreamed my way through character profiles, story lines, etc. But really, I've avoided writing and focused mostly on watching old episodes of Angel, Merlin, 3rd Rock from the Sun and anything else I could to find writing ideas. Beg. Borrow. Steal.


I also played video games I've neglected for years. For example, I dusted off my Nintendo College Football 2005 and played a few games as the Air Force Falcons. And in case you're wondering, I picked the Falcons because I was in a Stargate: SG1 mood, and if you know the show, well, you know they are Air Force. For the record, I don't know how to run Air Force's wing offense (whatever it's called).


For those following my Mall Demons Serial, you'll notice I did not post Chapter 6 yet. I should have announced the delay. My apologies. But since I was on that sabbatical, it included Mall Demons. I should have Chapter 6 online by Friday.


Well... it's 1:15 a.m. Gonna save the rest of the muse and unleash her in less than 24 hours. So, that's all for now. If you're NaNoWriMo, let me know. We can spur one another on to the end!

Writing Prompts Can Be Your Ticket To Success!

We use writing prompts quite often in our writing club at school. They are a fun way to stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone. Think about it. You like writing about zombies, but a prompt asks you to write about your first love. 
As much as you might gag at the idea, it will stretch your skills. That's always a good thing as a writer. And, you never know. A story you create with a prompt might become a reader favorite that spawns your publishing success. So, here are a few suggestions. Give them a try, let me know how it goes.

• Write a story that includes a historical figure as one of the main characters. Writers in my club do this regularly, but the figures tend to turn into serial killers, vampires and the like.
• With pen and paper, visit a bookstore, coffee shop, etc. Sit for awhile. Write down all the dialogue you hear, then build a short story out of it. Our club did this, too. Once again, the characters in our story ended up dying.
• Write an alternate version of a fairy or folk tale. Modernize it, even. Yep, you guessed it. Club did this one and we focused on tales where some dark force unleashed evil on the world and it was doomsday. I think our club has issues.
• Look up 10 random words in the dictionary. The key here is random. Now write a short story using those words. Our club had fun with this one. One of the words we had to use was 'homunculus.' Of course our homunculi (plural??) were evil.

So there you go. Give those a try. You never know where it might take you. My Mall Demons Urban Fantasy Serial started with one short story using the writing prompt to 'Write an alternate version of a fairy or folk tale'. Now I am on Part 6, and it's on its way to becoming a full-length novel I'm publishing in December.

Use Literary Terms As Writing Prompts: Allusion

When I get stuck in my writing, I turn to exercises to prime the pump. One of the exercises I often turn to is using literary terms as prompts. By literary terms, I mean words like allusion, characterization, dramatic irony, foreshadowing, personification, symbol and tone.

Microsoft Office Images

So, I figured I'd share my strategies with you. Maybe it works for you. If it does, then great. For it to work, you must know what the terms mean. Today's term: Allusion


It's not the same as 'illusion.' An allusion is a quick reference, brief mention to something (literary person or historical event, for example) in your work. The assumption is that usually whatever you are referring to is something your audience knows about (although this isn't always the case).


Writers might use allusions to enrich their story, to provide context quickly or draw connections with other works. I have written stories based on allusion prompts. Once in a writing group, we put together a prompt for our monthly writing exercise that looked something like this:

In no more than 5,000 words write a horror story based in Virginia while also using at least 3 allusions.

Now, here's an example from the first part of my Mall Demons Serial, 'Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee.' In the story, one of the demon characters recounts a tale from his past:

Many of their years ago I was apprenticed to Death himself. It was in the year 1187. We were visiting one of the many villages that Richard the Lionheart's crusaders were traveling through...

My mentioning of 'Richard the Lionheart' was an allusion. If you know who he is, I've just drawn a connection between that figure and that historical time and the setting and events of my story. It's brief, but it adds richness that would be missing if I simply wrote something like this:

I was apprenticed to Death himself during the middle ages. We were visiting a village...

The second passage, at least to me, just doesn't carry the same punch. Here's another example from a story I am working on now. It's a sci-fi story, and one of the characters, a child, is explaining the situation to another character:

Then something weird happened... This is when John and, I think, the alien guy showed up. And the alien used his device. Well, it threw everything out of whack, kind of like that episode in Star Trek Voyager when Janeway and Paris got stuck in another phase of reality because of that clock thing and almost got blown up.

I know, the passage is still rough around the edges, but you see the allusion, right? I linked my story's events to similar events from a Star Trek Voyager episode. Anyone in my audience who's seen the episode will draw a connection.


That's it. Simple, right? Try using allusions in your next work. Make it an exercise. Use the prompt I shared above if you like. Let me know how it goes! You can comment below or e-mail me.

Why You Won't Write A Novel In 30 Days

Want to enter NaNoWriMo? That's the month-long challenge that takes place every November with one goal for entrants: write a 50,000-word novel draft.

If you have never tried, I have one key to success. It is the most essential strategy for success (in my opinion). Do this, and you can succeed. Convince yourself that you are a special case and don't need to follow this strategy, and more than likely you will not finish your novel draft. No success.

So, what's the key? What is this strategy? It is simply this: Write every day.

That's it. So simple, yet... I hear the scoffing already. I write when the muse strikes. Or, I'm too busy so I write only on the weekends. I hear you. I feel you. But I no longer agree with you. Here's why. 

If you want to write 50,000 words in 30 days, it will require that you write every day. This can’t be emphasized enough. Sure, you can procrastinate and catch up on the weekends, etc. But, you are putting pressure on yourself to do a week’s writing in just two days. And inevitably, other things will come up on those weekends to make it even more challenging to write your words for the week.

I tried this strategy of just using weekends the first time I entered NaNoWriMo. After the second week of trying, I abandoned all hope. It just didn’t work. Let me setup a scenario to illustrate:

After an exhausting five days at the office, that first Saturday comes. All I want to do is relax. So, I tell myself. I will sleep in a little bit. Then, after lunch, I will start writing those words.

Lunchtime comes and my wife has different ideas. She really wants to buy new curtains, etc. for the living room.

“Can we please go to the store? You know you don’t have time to do it on weekdays?” she says.

So, we spend the afternoon at several stores looking at every possible curtain design known to man. By the time we return home, I am beat. I tell myself I’ll rest for an hour, then I’ll start those words. An hour goes by. Time to prep for dinner. We don’t have everything we need, so my wife sends me to the grocery store for last-minute ingredients. No problem. 'While she finishes up dinner, I’ll steal away some time to write,' I say to myself.

Nope. Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids!

In the middle of dinner, my wife’s mother calls with important news. I take over the last steps for dinner while my wife takes the call. Then….dinner. Afterward, it slips my mind that tonight’s the big football game. I just can’t miss it. National-televised game. Highly-ranked teams. I must watch it. I make a deal with myself. I will watch it and write at the same time. Afterall, football is filled with time-outs, commercials, etc. Plenty of time to do some quick writing.

Four hours later, I’m mad because my team lost in the last minute of the game. I have written nothing because it was such a close game up to the final minute that I didn’t have time to write a word. Now, it’s about 11 p.m. I’m feeling guilty because I didn’t write anything. I’m angry because my team lost. I’ll just go to bed. Can’t write in this state of mind anyway.

And then comes Sunday with a whole set of its own situations preventing me from writing. When I’m back at the office Monday morning, I am really feeling pathetic because I didn’t get any writing done.

End of scenario. End of any thoughts of finishing my 50,000-word novel.

Solution: Write every day. Ideally, if you write 1,667 words a day for 30 days, you'll get to your goal. I know from experience that sometimes you won't get to 1,667. You must (if you're like me) write something every day. 1,000 one day. 2,000 another. Whatever. But write every day.


What do you think of writing every day?

Vacation was fun while it lasted

Last day before it's time to go back to work. Little mini-vacations are awesome. They can help recharge the batteries. I look back at the last few days, and I could grumble about not getting as much writing as I had wanted.


I could grumble. It wouldn't change anything, though. I was still writing and doing the things I needed to do to improve my craft. OK. I had hoped to be done with three chapters of my Mall Demons Urban Fantasy Serial. I'm almost done with one more chapter, not three. So what.


Sometimes we must be happy with whatever it turns out to be. Otherwise, we could harm our efforts at the mental level. And at the mental level is where writing starts. So, mess that up, and you mess up the words.


The words is what it's all about.


Maybe the last few days for you haven't been as productive either. It happens. As long as it doesn't happen all the time, it's OK. Don't be your own worst enemy, your own worst critic.


Live and learn. 


I may not have written three chapters as I wanted, but I did write a prelude. I also decided to spin off a second book in the Mall Demons series as a prequel. I realized a few of my characters (Evangeline, Watcher and Sargas Vak) have interesting backstories that I could expand upon in other books.


With NaNoWriMo coming in a few weeks, I just might use the exercise to write that first draft of the prequel.


Other tasks I took care of during this vacation: I updated my LinkedIn and YouTube accounts. I'm excited about using YouTube to offer audio versions of my series. 


Tomorrow it's back to writing. Goal: 2,000 words.

Do You Write Too Much?

Simple question. No need for a complex answer. In all honesty, the proof is in your writing.


The question again: Do you write too much?


Gotta admit the truth is most new writers do. It's why I have so embraced flash fiction. I needed to write tight. I wrote a previous post on writing flash fiction, and an Esquire contest to write a complete story in 78 words. 


Check it out here.


Now back to writing too much. This from Garry Disher's "Writing Fiction: An Introduction To The Craft":

New - and experienced - writers often write too much owing to a lack of focus (Sara Paretsky threw out three hundred pages of her novel, Tunnel Vision, saying: 'I was kind of meandering and it just didn't have a shape') or burden themselves with complex, complicated or competing ideas. It may be necessary to simplify the theme and coolly cut inessential ideas, characters, incidents and sub-plots.

So, the question bears repeating: Do you write too much?


If you don't think you need to worry about writing too much, then try an exercise: On a page, list the numbers 1-100 as if you were going to take a test and answer 100 questions. Like this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
And so on...
Now, next to each number write one word all the way to 100. And in this way, write a 100-word story: beginning, middle and end.
Give it a try. Share your story in the comments section below.

Mall Demons Serial Well Underway & The Family's Cheering Me On!

Tell me if this has happened to you.


I was driving in Washington DC last night - the whole family in the minivan. It's just pouring rain. You know when you're near all those government buildings, the trees lining the streets. It feels like you're in a concrete valley. Well, anyway, lightning was flashing above the buildings. And the thought spilled out...


"Lightning...Or are those flashes from angels appearing on the rooftops?"


"It's Evangeline!" My wife said.


OK... don't know what I'm talking about? Well, this is an example of my fictional world spilling over into the real world. Evangeline is a warrior angel in My Mall Demons Urban Fantasy Serial which follows the spiritual battle between angels and demons at a modern-day shopping mall. Humans, of course, are caught in the middle. There's one - a chosen one - who can help save humanity from this latest demonic assault.


As writers, isn't this what we hope for? Our story taking on a life of its own. When you look out on the world, you see the two realms - fictional and real - converge. And even better, your family and/or readers share the experience.


Besides my wife recognizing my creation, my fourth grader has started writing her own fan fiction based on my characters. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she REALLY, REALLY wants me to add one of her scenes to my next chapter.


It's a great feeling to have all the moral support. Writers, we know how lonely the writing life can be. How unappreciated we can feel. So, I'm loving the zeal my wife and kids are showing for my characters and story. Support and encouragement is coming from the office, too. One of my colleagues stumbled upon the Mall Demons Serial online. She read through all three chapters (at the time) in one sitting and asked where the fourth chapter was and why I wasn't done yet. That fourth chapter is online now by the way. Chapter five and six are nearly there.


I have the first of my big battles in these next two chapters, so.... I'm paying close attention to how the scenes  flow.


If you haven't read the serial, check it out and let me know what you think.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Are you working on a project and getting that much-loved support from family and friends? Writers always like hearing that stuff. Share your experience in the Comments below.

Do You Use Freewriting?

So maybe it's just me. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Let's find out. Here's the deal: I feel a lot of pressure to produce a masterpiece every time I sit down and put pen to paper or place my hands on a keyboard. That's when I freeze.


Like I said above, maybe it's just me. If that's the case, then you don't have to read further.


But I imagine a few of you - the aspiring writers still trying to figure this whole writing thing out - are still reading. Hi, there! Let me introduce you to my friend, Freewriting.


Freewriting is a wonderful friend. He (or she) allows you to write about whatever you want. It doesn't even have to make sense. He won't judge. All that matters is that you showed up to share your words - preferably on a daily basis.


Freewriting will help get the words out without pressure. How's it work?


It goes something like this. you just ramble on. what is ist that's coming into my head? well I'm glad I finished my latest installment of the Mall Demons serial. I think I like Meego as a bad guy. I should flesh him out. He an regenerate like a lizard so it'd be cool to have an arm or leg get clippe d;in  battle and then pop! another limb replaces it in amatte rof seconds. talk about intimidating an opponent. here you are thinking you're winning the fight. chopped of f this guy's legs and before you can celebrate bam! he's on two legs again. tough to beat. of course he's gonna need a weakness. can't be invicncible - not that incinvicplbe...or can he? 


There you have it. That's your friend Freewriting at its most real. You notice there's no worry about grammar, typos, etc. You're just getting the message down as it flows out of your creative brain. Tell the logical side of your brain to zip it for awhile. It doesn't matter if you have a singular subject and a plural noun. Dangling modifier? It's all good.


What your write is for you and your Freewriting friend alone. It doesn't even need to make sense to anyone else. So give it a shot. It's best to do it daily. Try every morning right before you have to get ready for work or school. What I wrote above took less than a couple of minutes. You have a few minutes for your writing. Don't you?
You can type it out on a computer, or use a spiral notebook and scribble away. The object is to just keep going. Write. Write. Write. No pressure to produce a masterpiece. Tell that literary critic, that grammar teacher in your head to shut up.

Think of this time as your workout or practice time. Compare it to a professional basketball player practicing that same free throw shot hour after hour after hour. The basketball player is developing muscle memory by repeatedly practicing the same shot. You as a writer must develop your writing muscle memory, verbal muscle memory, or whatever you want to call it. 

Just do it! Not only will Freewriting free up words within you, it will - through your notes - become an important resource for you.
Do you freewrite? Share your techniques, success stories in the Comments Section.