Beginnings are Easy For years I wanted to move from writing technical documents to writing thrillers. Even though writing non-fiction had paid the bills, my heartstrings are pulled by the desire to pen entertaining stories and novels. As it turned out, I found I could complete short stories with ease, but novels—not so much. I…
Category: Blog
Happiness and Writing
We’re all interested in the secret of happiness. I’ve read quite a few articles on the subject over the years. Most agree that wealth is no guarantee of satisfaction and contentment. (Although severe financial struggle certainly doesn’t increase your chances of being happy.) Career success is not necessarily a predictor of happiness either, particularly in…
Unstructured Narrative
Many writers have experimented with non-standard, or unstructured narrative styles. Some to varying but undeniable degrees of success – some mixing reality and fancy like Hunter S. Thompson, others displaying a non-linear narrative like Kurt Vonnegut, still others jumbling everything up in what can be argued to have no sense whatsoever but an irresistible rhythm…
Being Open
Sixteen months ago, I stopped in the middle of writing a new mystery-thriller. (I never stop in the middle of a project. I always finish.) But a friend had suggested an idea. (I rarely take ideas from friends, but overnight an additional key element popped into my head, out of nowhere.) I started writing immediately….
Musing on the Muse
One of my interests is word origins, slang, jargon, idiom, and other esoteric corners of our language. Shortly after reading Ann Gordon’s article on Commanding the Muse, I was talking with my wife and mentioned something that I found amusing. That set my mind going. Was “amuse” related to “Muse?” Off to the Internet I…