Now that I’ve finished the rough draft of my new Sam and Meg Stone Mystery, I’ve taken a week off before I jump into revisions. During this time, I’ve been thinking about what comes next. There are lots of steps before it actually meets the public. Some of them are completely straightforward; others are as […]
Finally!
It took weeks longer than I expected, and that’s weeks of actual work, not of putting it off. It’s also about 10,000 words longer than I expected, which explains how long it took. But I finally wrote those two magical words: The End. Of course, it isn’t the end. It’s just the end of the […]
Excuses, Excuses…
Life got crazy and then I got sick, so my challenge to finish my rough draft in ten days died on the vine. But my plan is to finish it by end of business tomorrow, Friday, February 21. I’ll do a longer post tomorrow, assuming I do what I say I’m going to do. […]
Update on my challenge
Just a quick check-in to update everyone on my progress in my challenge to write 20,000 words or finish my rough draft, whichever comes first, by Monday, February 10. I’m happy to say that since I gave myself the challenge on Friday, I’ve written 3048 words. That may not seem like the progress I need, […]
Ten-Day Writing Challenge
I just posted on Threads about how I’m struggling to get myself to write. Not write in general, but work on my book. I don’t think I have writer’s block, because I know where the story is going and have even been working out scenarios in my mind to carry the plot forward from where […]
An Oldie But a Goodie
I’ve been struggling to come up with something to write a blog post about, so I thought maybe one of my old posts from years gone by might spark something. I came across this one that seemed quite appropriate to my predicament. So I thought I’d share it. This is a real blast from the […]
Just Think Of The Possibilities!
I don’t imagine this comes as news to anyone, but today marks the beginning of a new year. We’ve put away 2024 and are moving into 2025. And I don’t remember anyone checking with me to see if I was ready. Being ready for the new year, or for any event on the calendar for […]
An Empty Nest Christmas
If you know my family history, you’re aware I’ve only been a parent since 2018. Well, I was a stepdad until 2023, when I adopted my wife’s daughter Lauren, making it legally, in the words of the judge who signed the paperwork and presided over the lovely ceremony that took place in the courtroom, as […]
So Much For Which To Be Thankful
I’m substituting today in a sophomore English classs. In preparation for reading John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, we’re watching a video on the history of pearls. While the students watch and fill out a study guide, I have some time to myself. Happily, these kids are terrific, so I can do some writing. And so here we […]