Last night, I finished the first draft of my latest novel. The rain was falling outside, and my dog was quietly snoozing in the bedroom as I reached “The End.” When I checked the time on my computer, it was 11:34 p.m. I don’t actually type “The End” when I finish one of my books,…
Category: The Writing Process
These posts are related to my writing. They could include excerpts from my published works, but they’ll definitely give you insight into what’s going on in my head as I write.
No better way to spend an afternoon than with authors
Have you ever spent an afternoon with the authors? I realize this might conjure up images of Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King getting together to play a game of poker, but such a concept exists. Since 2015, the Shawano City-County Library has hosted its Afternoon With the Authors, giving the…
Writing book not the end of an author’s journey
You’ve written your book. You’ve put it through rigorous editing and gone through all the hoops needed to get it published. Now what? Putting “The End” on a novel does not mean the process is finished. You’ve written an amazing story, but unless you shout that news from the top of the bell tower in…
Crossing boundaries while curing hunger a way to explore mystical side to life
Fantastic stories—they open up the mind and provide an escape like no other. For ages, people have been mystified by magic, by things not of this world and even the strange things that can be found on this world. It’s all about crossing boundaries. When I first started writing books, I wanted to cross boundaries….
Developing story outlines doesn’t mean you have to stay within the lines
Last week, I talked about one of the rules of writing that I rarely follow—writing daily. This week, I’ll touch on outlines. Many writers depend on a written outline to serve as a sort of roadmap, a way to show how you’re going to go from point A to point B by way of the…
Writing every day not a way of life, but setting regular goals makes it easier
Some writers say you should write every day, set aside some time to write something whether it’s in a journal or crafting a poem or working on the latest chapter of your novel. Some use this mantra as a way to gently encourage vigilance in writing. Others believe that if you miss a day, it’s…
One story is good, but several makes for a party
I had one idea in my head when I started my novel writing career 10 years ago—a beautiful story of two men falling in love in a rural atmosphere. That was all I was interested in writing at the time, and for many people who want to write a book, one is enough. My brain…
Torquere woes indicate professional publishing not the safest option
Sometimes self-publishers, also known as indie publishers, get a bad name. Because we don’t have the backing of a company with scores of employees dedicated to molding the books into literary perfection—if there is such a thing—we’re sometimes seen as lazy amateurs looking to sell books without putting in all the work. This isn’t going…
Editing a book more time consuming sometimes than writing it
I know I’ve been very neglectful the last couple of weeks posting to the blog, but there really is a good reason. My new book was holding me hostage. It sounds crazy, I know, but until you’ve actually attempted to write a novel, you can’t appreciate how much time can be sucked up with an…
Lazy authors shouldn’t count on others to make sales
Being a writer is no easy task. Most of the time, you have to put in the time and the effort to give your story life, but the work doesn’t end there, especially if you self-publish. Once the story is in the pipeline for printing, you have to promote yourself, market yourself and be your…
For want of a waffle, the script was lost
(Note to readers: I wrote this on Facebook in March 2015, but thought it would be good to share on the blog. Before I started penning novels, much of my early writing involved stage plays, especially since I acted in middle and high school.) Never let it be said that something is “lost forever,” especially…
Tale of a one-room schoolhouse screams to be told
I’ve written for as long as I can remember. Even before I got my own computer, this boy with a love for country living was creating stories in some form or fashion. For the last eight years, writing books has consumed much of my world (along with one really wonderful play, which I’ll talk about…
Rural Roots and American Rainbows 