Whose Lives Matter?

My fear tells me I have nothing to say as a white man living a privileged life in the United States. What if my words will make things worse? What if it's too little, too late? Well, I don't usually let fear stop me from speaking my mind, so now doesn't seem like the time …

We Can’t Go Back

I've heard a lot of people talking during 2020 pandemic about wanting to "get back to normal". This is my personal opinion, but that normal is gone. Dead. Lost to us. For one thing, our idea of normal is a fabrication in our minds that has little bearing on reality. What I think of as …

Bravado or Acceptance

A few days ago, I posted about the fear pandemic that is sweeping the world. While I am very concerned about the fear that is gripping people, I also want to talk about another way I find myself responding that maybe you can relate to. And that is bravado. What I want to do in …

The Pandemic of Fear

I imagine at this point you are aware that there is a deadly pandemic sweeping the world. Actually there are two. But the COVID-19 one is getting plenty of coverage. The other pandemic is fear. Let me be clear, there is definitely danger to COVID-19, and I am not trying to downplay it. We are …

If you try, you win

My son is having a little bit of trouble making it through early schooling. When he encounters something that is challenging, he will sometimes shut down and stop even trying because he gets so frustrated he can't do it perfectly. So one day, I came up with the phrase "If you try, you win." It …

How to Avoid Writing

Do you have a writing project that you want to avoid? Well the best way to avoid your current project is to work on things that you can rationalize to yourself as contributing to your writing long-term. You probably won't even have to be intentional about coming up with these other things to work on, …

Side Effects of Not Snoozing

I have only snoozed a couple of times since I started my no snoozing habit. But I have discovered a few oddities about the habit I created that have forced me to solve some interesting problems. Maybe you haven't gotten a chance to read my recent post about How I killed the Snooze. If you have, …

Stuck in the Swampy Middle

I feel stuck today. I just finished the beginning hook of my novel, so I am about 25% through. In true form of starting the middle of a book, I immediately feel like I am slogging through a swamp. Jim Butcher calls it the Swampy Middle.

Climbing Novel Mountain – Day 1

I stand at the metaphorical trail head of novel mountain. I have done all the prep. I have all my gear. But I look up at the peak of the mountain and a string of curses runs through my mind. This mountain is too ambitious. I probably can't make it to the top. I probably …

Beating Resistance

Every morning I sit down to write, I feel resistance. But today, the resistance feels less like a background hum and more like an impenetrable wall. Like a massive fortress where all my words are inside and I am stuck outside trying to scale the wall. Resistance is a feeling I have been aware of …