I recently went to lunch with some coworkers, and while we were eating an elderly woman fell and hit her head. An instant after it happened, two of my coworkers rushed to her side and were helping her up. They sat and talked with her till the ambulance came. None of the other perhaps 30 …
THE END
I have finally typed a writer's two favorite words. First draft is complete, and my mind has entered a tug of war with itself, trying to decide between brainstorming the next novel, or a short story or three, or getting right to work on rewrites and edits--though, I should probably wait a few weeks for …
Fifth time’s a charm
As I near the end of a first draft on my first novel, I can't help but look back over all my other failed attempts. There was the vampire novel, which I started writing 12 or 13 years ago, in my early 20's. I got to about 30k words before Twilight gained popularity, and I …
Baby steps
The idea of writing a novel seems way too big when you think about it as a whole. But take baby steps, and you'll get there, one tiny shuffle forward at a time. Try not to think of it as a huge project. If you keep thinking you better watch that sword that's hanging over …
Stop avoiding confrontation
If someone is saying something you disagree with, speak up. Silence, or polite smiling and nodding, is equal to agreeing with them in their minds. Imagine you are going on about how awesome Nickleback is and everyone around you is either silent or nodding absently. You are going to assume your opinion is perfectly normal, …
Jonas David 