Tag Archives: writing
Power Your Rewrite
To Rewrite, Rewire or Rip Out… In the process of making a stab at rewriting my latest work in progress, I had an epiphany, of sorts. Well, not a lightning bolt to the temple kind of moment, but more of the rub your socks on the carpet kind of jolt. Enough to get my attention, […]
Big Box Paranoia
The Big Box Paradox There’s something odd going on in my local big box store. By odd, I mean there are strange, unexplained happenings in the cavernous warehouse that defy the logic of our world. There are unseen forces at work in these places and I’m convinced they are not as benign as the Big […]
Get Off My Damn Lawn
Pardon while I squeeze into my ranty pants… I don’t know when it happened. I didn’t feel the day I changed, but I have become that guy – the crotchety geezer who wants to yell at the local young folk, to get off my damn lawn. To be honest, it isn’t always directed at the “kids,” […]
What The Hell Was I Thinking?
So you typed the words, The End Remember that first manuscript you finished? The one you thought was going to rocket to the top of the bestselling lists? Sure you do. I remember that day. Queries went out and I sat back waiting to watch the big 5 publishers fight over the rights to the book. The […]
Character Interventions
Addictions and Interventions They come in different packages. In a dream, I find myself entering a uncomfortable, but familar room, a windowless basement. In this dank space, ten other slack-jawed, baggy-eyed people sit in a circle and stare at one another, each waiting for the other to break the silence. Their faces turn as I take […]
Writers With Issues?
Who doesn’t have issues? We all got ’em. Take a good look in that mirror and if you’re human you’ve got your share (some more than others) of quirks, habits and flaws. Collectively, these are your “issues.” They aren’t all bad, don’t get me wrong. That mix of psychic stuff is what makes you – you. […]
Let Me Enjoy My Happy Place
The Time In Between Writing Projects I’ve found that sweet spot, the one right after you finish reading a good book, and wrapping up the revisions on a manuscript of your own. A warm glow spreads from the center of my being. Could this be contentment? This vaguely familiar feeling smells of an overheated computer […]
Death and Taxes
I started writing a post about timing and fate, but the damn thing got way too heavy and dark. Now I like dark, but mysterious life forces pushing you around to the beat of some demented drummer is another thing. So, I opted for something lighter and in recognition of the season, here is something […]
Do You Suffer From Revision Brain Syndrome?
Revision Brain Syndrome (RBS) RBS is destined to be added to the list of serious psychological maladies in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition (DSM V) as a condition plaguing millions of writers. (cue Sarah McLachlan sad puppy music here) Self-diagnosis is difficult and I’ll warn you now to stay […]
Wanna Go To Mars?
We got this all wrong… I’m sitting at my keyboard and revising (as I’m supposed to do) and something shiny crosses the monitor and pulls my attention away like a moth to a flame. A news wire reports that over 200,000 people have applied to travel seven months through space and live on Mars. The […]
James L'Etoile 