A business associate killed himself not long ago. He used a gun, which means it was more than a cry for help. I had seen him at a professional conference two months before and all seemed fine. We had a pleasant conversation and I even complimented him on the PowerPoint he had developed for his…

Saying that something is “nondescript” is still a description. A bad one. A cheat. No matter how plain, unremarkable and downright boring something is, it still deserves a few words. You can do better.  

I have an annoying tendency of turning hobbies into work. My book stack torments me. My guitar mocks me. Even my DVR list badgers me into binging. “Just one more,” it whispers in a conspiratorial tone. “Your wife won’t be home for hours.” Back when I played fantasy football — for 17 seasons, no less…

The best part of being a writer is that everything is material. It’s also the worst part. I can recall getting in an argument with my wife, a real doozy that (thankfully) happens only once a decade or so. In the middle of a particularly nasty exchange, part of my brain disassociated and started commenting,…

BC (before COVID), I found myself in Reno as a presenter at their annual Literary Crawl event. On the way back to my hotel room, I shared an elevator with an older gentleman who looked like Father Time if Father Time chewed tobacco. “Whatcha got there?” he growled as the door clanked shut. “This? A…

I almost never offer unsolicited advice — unless it’s of the “Don’t step off the curb, there’s a bus coming” variety. Solicited advice is another matter entirely and I’m honored when the occasional writer asks for my opinion. Here’s one that came to me recently from a fellow scribe: “I have a question that I…

We said our final goodbyes to Daisy the cat yesterday. Daisy was 19-years-old, an “antique” according to our vet and, until recently, in remarkably good health. In her prime, she could scale an eight-foot bookcase in a single bound or balance herself on top of an open door better than any Olympic gymnast. Daisy was…

It’s true, most people don’t know the difference between quality writing and meh writing. Or worse. Doesn’t matter. Write good anyway.

More brilliance from creative guru Seth Godin: “Art with no intent can entertain us, and it can also reinforce stereotypes and simply help what is in our world persist. Art with selfish intent exists to manipulate the viewer to serve the needs of the artist. It doesn’t often spread, but when it does, it can…

Excellent advice from marketing guru Seth Godin, who’s been writing a daily blog since they invented blogs. Take it to heart . . . Write something. Then improve it. Then write something else. Repeat this process until you have a post. Then post it. Then repeat this process. There’s no such thing as writer’s block.…