Tag Archives: Writing

I Never Would’ve Guessed One of the Hardest Things About Writing Could Be Coming Up with a Good Title

I’ve become convinced that the title of one of my novellas (the one I’m currently trying to get published) is no good. In fact, I’m on the verge of saying it downright sucks. Originally, I thought it was a clever little title. It’s actually one of the last lines in the book, and I thoughtContinue reading “I Never Would’ve Guessed One of the Hardest Things About Writing Could Be Coming Up with a Good Title”

I Just Finished The Rough Draft To My First Novel…Why Aren’t I More Happy About It?

I finished the rough draft to my first novel.  It didn’t take as long as I thought it would, which I guess should be a good sign.  But the thing is, even though I do feel a sense of accomplishment, overall I just have this feeling of all-consuming dread. I see so many gaping holesContinue reading “I Just Finished The Rough Draft To My First Novel…Why Aren’t I More Happy About It?”

Everyone Likes A Strong Climax

So, I’m getting pretty near the end of my work in progress and something hit me. Stopped me in tracks, really. I don’t have faith in my ending. I’m only a few thousand words from the end, and so far…the climax seems sort of anti-climactic. I wrote a (very) rough outline of the story beforeContinue reading “Everyone Likes A Strong Climax”

Well…Rejection Sucks

In an earlier post, I talked about the trouble I had declaring myself a writer. I actually got very interesting feedback on the topic, and I appreciate everyone’s comments. Today, however, I believe I may have finally crossed the threshold to counting myself among the masses (and masses) who call themselves “writers” – I’ve beenContinue reading “Well…Rejection Sucks”

“Are You a Writer?” – And…Cue Extreme Shyness

I’ve always been shy. Not just a little quiet, or kind of bashful, but extremely, painfully shy. A few years back, I was listening to some talk radio show one day and they were talking about Asperger’s Syndrome. They started listing some of the more common symptoms, and I thought, Holy crap, that’s me! IContinue reading ““Are You a Writer?” – And…Cue Extreme Shyness”

Kenny & The Cadaver – How I Became THAT Guy

Since finishing the (much harder than anticipated) A to Z challenge, I came to a startling realization: I don’t know what to blog about. The writing’s going fine, but not much new to report – 18k words into the Work In Progress, one novella with a beta reader. I haven’t been keeping up on TVContinue reading “Kenny & The Cadaver – How I Became THAT Guy”

Zzyzx – The Story That Officially Gave Me the Writing Bug

Living a scant three hour drive from Las Vegas for over 20 years, I went there a lot. A LOT. Weekend trips, day trips, ‘just because’ trips. I really miss Vegas. Anyway, when you made the drive that often, you began to memorize the scenery. There were a couple of small towns (one of whichContinue reading “Zzyzx – The Story That Officially Gave Me the Writing Bug”

XXX – Taboos in Storytelling

I don’t remember where I heard it, but somewhere I heard there was a general rule in storytelling : you never kill pets or children. I’ve already broken one of those rules in my second novella, and it got me thinking – is there anything I wouldn’t do in a story? My first instinct isContinue reading “XXX – Taboos in Storytelling”

Writing – I’m a Poor Swimmer

I use the expression I ‘jumped’ back into writing, but it was really anything but a jump. I got back into writing the same way I get into a cold-ass swimming pool (my wife will appreciate this analogy more than anyone else). I know I want to go swimming, but it’s cold. So Cold. So, IContinue reading “Writing – I’m a Poor Swimmer”

The Usual Suspects – Use Of Red Herrings and Twist Endings

*Ridiculous spoiler alert! If you haven’t seen this 18 year-old movie, you decide whether or not to keep reading. This is one of my favorite movies. Maybe not in my top five, but definitely my top ten. From what I gather when talking about the movie with people, your enjoyment of this movie will largelyContinue reading “The Usual Suspects – Use Of Red Herrings and Twist Endings”