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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…