Of all the skills a good writer needs in order to write well, I think one of the most important is empathy. It doesn’t matter if you have excellent grammar, seamless plotting, or snappy dialogue. If you don’t have empathy for your characters, both the heroes and villains, then the story is going to show…
Month: July 2020
The Coming Storm
I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life, and have had the opportunity to live in different places across the state. I grew up in South Florida, spent a couple of years in Central Florida, and wound up in North Florida. Funny thing is, I’ve enjoyed all three environments. And yes, there are differences….
The Write Stuff
It always bothers me when people say they can’t write. Sure, some people may have more talent than others, but they probably write more often. In my opinion, and my experience, anyone can write. Doesn’t matter if it’s an email, a school report, or a piece of fiction. Anyone can do it. The thing is,…
The Right Attitude
One of the drawbacks to being creative is dealing with disappointment. It can be awful when one of your projects doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, or when people don’t like it, or things just fall apart. I’ve had stories that I simply couldn’t make work. I’ve had stories that never made…
Pulled BBQ Chicken
I was tempted to use this recipe as the subject of one of my cooking videos, but because I’m using a slow cooker I figured it wouldn’t be quite as much fun. I mean, who’s going to watch four hours of chicken breasts slowly coming up to temperature? Slow cooking is often dismissed as “not…
A Balanced Reading List
Okay, I’ll admit it…I have way too many books on my to-read list. The problem is that I want to read them all. All the books. All the books I can get my hands on. I know, I have a problem. Part of the issue is that I have too many interests. Sure, I love…
Review – Go Set a Watchman
If you grew up in the U.S. back in the 1970s and 1980s, you probably read To Kill a Mockingbird in school. Harper Lee’s coming-of-age story was mandatory reading when I was in eighth grade, but the book left an impression on me and I re-read it when I was a sophomore in high school….
The Prometheus Project Podcast, Ep 34, is available!
How much does personal experience influence our art? Join me as I discuss the subtle and obvious ways experience shapes our creativity. The podcast is available at iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify, and PodBean. Or if you prefer, I also have a YouTube channel. Or you can simply listen to it here!
Writing Practice
I think it’s safe to say that most writers focus on pieces they want to publish. Short stories, poems, novels, it’s all done with the end goal of seeing it in print. That being the case, I think it’s also safe to assume that many writers don’t do any writing practice. You know, exercises, vignettes,…
Having Fun
Art can be serious business. People who create take their projects seriously. We agonize over them, we cuss at them, we deal with frustration, aggravation, annoyance. We want to produce the best objet d’art we can. It doesn’t matter if it’s the written word, paint on canvas, or audio file. We live and breathe art….