"The only real access that I have to my mind is when I'm writing." – Kay Ryan
On the reading front, I have to admit that January has been lackluster at best. I finished reading Chuck Wendig’s Wayward, which I’d started in December. It’s the sequel to Wanderers. As much as I loved Wanderers and was eager to revisit that world, the end of Wayward felt rushed to me. One particular story... Continue Reading →
I did not meet my goal of writing 2,500 words each day during my two-week break from work. I had a migraine one day, and was fighting a cough a few others. Plus, I took some time off to just relax with Jen on the days she had off from work. According to my tracking,... Continue Reading →
Photo by Andrea Davis on Unsplash My employer gives all of the staff two weeks off each December for the holidays. This is time off that does not count against our PTO, which is used for federal holidays, vacation, and sick leave. In return for that chunk of time off, they ask that we periodically... Continue Reading →
Most of my recommendations posts in the future will be focused just on the past month’s activities. But, I read so many good books in October and November that I don’t want to focus just on November’s activities. Early October saw me read the Of Gods and Globes Anthology Volumes 1 & 2. These two... Continue Reading →
Howdy, y’all. My posting schedule has been hit-and-miss, I know. Looking back, I’ve been getting something new posted about every other week, but that trend will likely slow in the coming weeks. I’m scheduled for a rotator-cuff surgery early next week. And, I’m assuming the recovery process will limit how often I can post. I’ll... Continue Reading →
A quick perusal of social media shows I’m not the only person who is struggling to maintain any kind of normal routine.That’s not surprising. We’re still mired in COVID lockdowns. We’re seeing repeated reasons for social and political unrest: Police shooting Black, Indigenous, and other people of color and not being held accountable for it.... Continue Reading →
First, I hope that photo of a crowd doesn’t give anyone the jitters. I know I’m not the only person who watches TV or movies and freaks out about how close the actors stand to one another.I was chatting with a neighbor—while maintaining appropriate social distancing—and she commented that she’s so hypervigilant right now that... Continue Reading →
I’m not sure my earlier piece was as clear as I’d like. Rather than taking it down, I’m adding a second post. When thinking about what terrain writers can and cannot cover, I think the key is recognizing that there’s a difference between writers as creators and writers as publishing professionals. When writers are in... Continue Reading →
I’ve been thinking about how writing, storytelling, and literacy intersect (or not) in American culture. For a long time, humans believed we were superior to animals because we were smarter. Then we learned how to measure the intelligence of pigs and dolphins. We assumed a dividing line between humans and animals was the ability to... Continue Reading →
The other day, I found myself thinking about modern life and our obsession with the concept of love. For centuries (if not millennia), the concept of love didn’t factor into humans’ decision-making processes. Our ancestors often married for security or wealth. They didn’t look for careers that sparked their passions. Instead, they followed in an... Continue Reading →
Ruth F. Simon 