Costume-ready... but how will I really look at the writing conferences? The suspense is killing you; but wait. Keep on reading! Right... I've done conferences before, but never back-to-back conferences for two weeks with The Stoned Theory Of My Own Destruction and Lionheart Leaks. How do I stay focused? How do I practice? Why not try eavesdropping? Try it every day. Just write something. Anything. It's a great writing prompt. And it can be a single line, exchange observed, or try a fake conversation in your head. I'm doing it right now, from the workplace within the imagination: "Bitch," he said. The two male co-workers spoke quietly talking about somebody else. He looked at him with careful
From YA to picaresque thriller... could writing get any weirder? Seriously!!! Why not try trolling journalism? The idea takes hold for a second or two. But a better idea is to make lists. Make a list of 5 things you've regretted doing. Pick one and describe the outcome and turn it into a story or poem. Try to keep writing differently, but don't go pissing people off. The sheer joy! What a relief it is to have friends over tomorrow night while not stuck in thought on the last chapter of revisions from my manuscript. Heavy on criticism, I wondered how long it would take to finish the final draft of The Stoned Theory Of My Own Destruction. It's done! Beyond The Blue Kite or the best mistake eve
Just getting to the end of Firestarter... and I'm already starting to read a new book. What is it about Margaret Atwood and Stephen King with 1984? Writers use old ideas and now I'm starting to read a stirring tale set in WWII. It's punny, because it'll be an absolute thrill-ride to go to Thrillerfest, to take a master class with Andrew Gross and work on Lionheart Leaks. More matter-of-fact, I'm going to The Windsor International Writers Conference around the same time in July and I'll be pitching my latest manuscript. I recently sent-in the query, synopsis and first chapter for Sam Hiyate as I'll be meeting one-on-one with him. It's preparation time, but I'm actually driving my wife nuts an
Beyond the half-empty bottle of rum... there's this diary. The glass-half-empty is negativity looking down on your work and it's not a productive way to start. After much thought, I'm returning to write journal entries in this diary (with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson). My short diary entries are going to keep you updated on stuff going on in my literary world. The decision to go back to writing these blogs started with taking a short fiction workshop and then yesterday going to a writers' meeting Write Before Noon stressing the importance of writing blogs. Passively, I guess they're right or I wouldn't be writing right this second. Where am I at? I received a manuscript evaluation from Jo
