How do you write when you cannot focus? How do you concentrate when things happening in your life are too big to handle, too private to share publicly, and too painful to ignore? In the past, whenever I sat down to write, I kept to the classic style of writing; the...
My best writing happens when I don’t give a damn about the outcome. Most readers don’t give a damn either, so why should I? And when I get to that precious, devil-may-care, creative state of mind, the work I produce gets noticeably better—still not great, but...
People read stories because they want to feel. That’s good because writers write stories because they want to make people feel. Sometimes, however, they want it too badly, and so they start telling their readers what they should be feeling. See, this character’s...
For people participating in NaNoWriMo, today is the last day of freedom and the luxury of having time to think about writing. Starting November 1st, a 30-day race to 50,000 words begins. Anyone hoping to reach the finish line by the end of the month must write 1,667...
Would you say you’re an overthinker? Or would you have to… you know, think about it first? In my view, there’s something noble in reflecting on your actions, in pausing before making an important decision, in picking your motivations apart to understand what drives...
How is it that the only time I become self-conscious about wearing a hat is when my father’s around? It makes no sense. I’ve been wearing suits, whenever I leave the house, for years, and hats—German Mayser fedoras—since last autumn. It’s the kind of outfit that makes...
