Clik here to view.
Truth Is Tough
Today’s Assembly at Southwestern Adventist University was the annual Convocation. You know: that’s the one where the faculty all dress up like peacocks and march in while the band plays and we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Just Write the Blamed Thing!
I have stories in my head. Well, yeah. Writers are supposed to have stories in their head. But do you ever think what happens to those stories when writers don’t put them on paper? (Sorry, I’m old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Brain in a Bottle
Tonight’s TV will feature a new show entitled “Limitless” about a pill that allows the user to access 100 percent of the cells in their brain. It’s based on a movie by the same name that came out a few...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ping Pong Writing
It’s almost the end of September, which means November is just around the corner. And if you’re a writer you know what that means…. National Novel Writing Month. Yup. Don’t know if I have the courage...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dry Spell
They’re words that writers–and their audience–don’t like to hear. It’s when you can’t find the words to put on paper. Dry spell. And I’m facing that’s where I am. Last night I listened to NPR talking...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And…We’re Rolling…With a Grunt and a Groan
Sometimes the words fall easily from the keyboard and you find yourself serving as some sort of transcriptionist for the angels. It would be nice if every book was written that way. Most of the time it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Writer’s Secret Weapon
Fear is the mind killer. —Dune, Frank Herbert We’re two weeks from wrapping up the fall semester, and my Writing for Publication class is sweating out the likelihood of getting published and getting a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Three Keys to Writing Success
I just got done reading an article about Seth Roberts, the second-year receiver for the Oakland Raiders, my NFL team of choice. Seth Roberts went to a small, no-name college and even though he played...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Crunch Time
I’m sitting–actually standing–in my Writing for Publication class while they sweat out their final project. They are required to self publish something on Smashwords before their final exam next...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are We Too Entertained?
I’m a member of Goodreads, the website that concerns itself with all things related to reading and books. This year, I’ve taken on the challenge of reading 30 books before Dec. 31. Well, I currently...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It’s the End of the World As We Know It…
“This is the way the world ends….not with a bang but a whimper.” –T.S. Eliot The other night I noticed a trailer for another dystopian movie coming out soon, this one “The Fifth Wave,” a so-so story...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Unexpected Journey
I started to entitled this blog simply “Swamped,” or “Overwhelmed,” or something along those lines. I haven’t been keeping up with my blog lately, simply because I have been so incredibly busy with my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reality Bites
In a perfect world, someone who wanted to write (me) someone who had the aptitude to write (again, me), someone who had the ideas to put on on paper (once again, ME) would be able to find the time to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Amateur Writers Become Professionals
My students hate it when I ask trick questions. And of course, this is one of them. The short answer to the question: What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional is simple. A...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Writing as Therapy
One of the toughest times in my life was when my father was dying of cancer. It also marked a breakthrough in my writing. My father was never the kind of person to express himself, and I always felt at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So Easy, Anyone Can Do It.
One of the things that totally boggled the mind of my darling wife when we came to Texas 18 years ago was that professors (my new profession) weren’t given any instruction in teaching. In fact, in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Being, Doing, or Having Done? What’s Your Writing Motivation?
“I hate writing, I love having written.” –Dorothy Parker It’s been crunch time for me, well, for probably most of the semester. For some odd reason the onslaught doesn’t seem to let up. And when real...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sometimes You Have To Be a Steamroller
“Well, I’m a steamroller, baby, I’m gonna roll all over you…” –James Taylor I tell people that I got the nickname “steamroller” when I was in my graduate studies, but the truth is that I gave myself...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: “On Writing” by Stephen King
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Scribner Books. 288 pages. To be totally honest, this is the third time that I have read this book. But there’s a very good reason why I’ve chosen to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
One of a Kind
I watched an interview with Octavia Spencer on Late Night with Steven Colbert a couple of nights ago. She plays the leader of the Amity faction in the new film Allegiant, the last segment in the...
View Article