This week, I got a rejection from a prominent science fiction journal. Rejections are common when you’re a writer trying to publish short fiction. The competition is fierce and editors can only publish so many stories. They have to draw the line somewhere, so the vast majority of responses you get when shopping around aContinue reading “Motivated By Rejection”
Tag Archives: writer
The First Thirty Thousand Words
At my core, I’m a short story writer, a factor that has been both a blessing and a curse as I set out to write a full-length novel. At the 30,000-word mark, just over one-quarter of the way to my goal, it hit me that I was attempting something new.
The Birthday Resolutions Achieve Excellence
Back in college, I read a lot of books by dead, old, Greek guys and I was surprised by how much their search for knowledge and meaning struck a chord with me. Aristotle in particular wrote that the highest achievement a human can reach is arête. This word is often translated as “excellence” or “moralContinue reading “The Birthday Resolutions Achieve Excellence”
The First Ten Thousand Words
This year, I committed to writing a novel. This week, I crossed the ten thousand word mark. After months of working on my premise, dreaming about the plot, and writing dialogue in my head, it’s starting to feel real. So, I thought I would share how I’m feeling at various stages of the process. TheContinue reading “The First Ten Thousand Words”
Wired for Story
I don’t know about you, but I’m always writing stories in my head. A snippet of interesting conversation, an observation on the street, a song on the radio — my brain will wheel off on a creative tangent. I hear dialogue in restaurants. I imagine plot twists on my drive to and from the office.Continue reading “Wired for Story”
A Writer and a Fraud
This month, I put myself on the line. I dusted off the play that I wrote two years ago and started sending it to theatres and new play festivals around the country. Some of these programs are known for discovering brilliant playwrights that go on to fame, fortune, and accolades. And each time I hitContinue reading “A Writer and a Fraud”
My Fifth Blogiversary
Five years ago today, I started a writing blog. I didn’t really have a plan for what I was going to do once it was up and running, but it seemed like a natural extension of my dream of being a writer. I knew I needed a discipline; something that would force me to writeContinue reading “My Fifth Blogiversary”
The Writer Goes to NYC
“Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved for mortals a means to mighty ends.” – Aeschylus It’s a famous cliché — a writer goes to New York City and find inspiration. But it’s a cliche for a reason. Back at the end of June, I went to the Big Apple forContinue reading “The Writer Goes to NYC”
On Discipline (or Lack Thereof)
Every weeknight for the past three months, at precisely 9:00pm, a notification pops up on my phone. “Write,” it says. And almost every night, I ignore it. Back in the spring, I noticed that I was hardly writing and decided I needed a gentle prod to get back into the habit. So, I set aContinue reading “On Discipline (or Lack Thereof)”
The Value of a Truly Terrible Book
I have a lot of books crammed into my little office at home and I’d estimate that I’ve only read about two-thirds of them. The rest are books that I just haven’t gotten around to yet. I’ve spent years collecting these books and dragging them halfway across the country on the off chance that onContinue reading “The Value of a Truly Terrible Book”
