“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will… Continue reading
I’ve been working my way through a copy of Raymond Carver’s collected short stories. I had read a handful of his stories when I was in college and I found a writing style that I wanted to mimic. That’s the thing with writers, especially when we’re still trying to find our footing…we feel a connection… Continue reading
Have you ever daydreamed when riding in a car on a long road trip? You know what I mean? It’s one of those quiet stretches. You have the radio playing some local station you picked up while passing through a small town. The driver is fixed on the road ahead while you stare out the… Continue reading
One of my many influences as a writer is Hunter S. Thompson, otherwise known as Doctor Gonzo. Thompson was the founder of Gonzo Journalism, a style which allowed the writer to impose him or herself into the story. There’s also an abundance of surrealistic description and drug-fueled mania. He wasn’t ever going to see one… Continue reading
I’ve read different takes on whether or not a writer should outline their stories ahead of time or if they should just wing it. Over the years I’ve tried both methods, but I find that winging it works best for me. At least for my short stories. The one novel draft I’ve completed started with… Continue reading
I like to have background music playing when I write. Nothing too distracting. I generally like something like Ambient or Lounge, maybe Classical or Alternative. Just depends on my mood and what I’m writing. For sci-fi, I like to have electronic music playing, generally instrumental. It sets the mood, makes for a nice layer of… Continue reading
I often dream about the stories I’m working on. Sometimes it’s on purpose. I’ll lay in bed at night and think about the story so far, the characters, who they are and what will they do, and then I drift off and dream about what happens next. Other times, it’s completely involuntary. I sleep and… Continue reading
Writers are always looking for new ideas, new themes, new prompts. I had a professor in college who wrote a collection of short stories based on the short, sometimes cryptic, scribblings on the back of old postcards. Other writers get their ideas from their dreams, or from free writing. I know one writer who updates… Continue reading
I’ve been keeping journals for almost thirty years. I started back in my early twenties. I was living alone in a one-room efficiency, working a minimum-wage job, and was in between relationships. I’m not exactly sure what prompted me to start writing my thoughts in a notebook. Maybe I had been reading about the habits… Continue reading
Writing takes work. I mean, ask any writer and they’ll tell you that it’s a struggle. It varies from person to person. Some find it easier than others, but regardless, it ain’t easy for any of us. What I’m trying to say is this: We often see the story in our heads. The opening, the… Continue reading