Eight Tips For Writing With Emotional Stress

To the surprise of practically no one, I didn’t get any writing done yesterday. This morning I’ve been doom scrolling and am still quite upset. I hope that you are doing what you need to do to soothe yourself. One thing I learned in the midst of the 52 week challenge was how to write…

Garmin Data Hack

Big wet kisses to the sweaty runners in my life. You amaze me with your diligence in running in this summer’s heat. Same to the walkers, yogis, cyclists, and all others working up a sweat and tracking it on your watch. I know that Garmin is under attack and we all fervently hope that they…

Getting Cozy With Writing

Joyce Carol Oates, Dean Wesley Smith, and a host of other writers recommend typing the first scene (or a scene you want to learn from) of one of your favorite books. They claim that it helps your subconscious learn how to write. It’s similar to artists copying from master paintings in the Louvre. They aren’t…

2019’s Best Writing/Publishing Education

Is there a book or a story you want to write in 2020 but aren’t sure how to approach the whole writing/publishing jazz? Here is my list of my favorite teachers and sites from 2019. I didn’t cover books, but I may write about that in a future blog post. Please be aware that your…

My Criteria for Promoting Books

I’m blessed by a number of friends who write books and a related, intersecting group of friends who enjoy reading books. I love putting them together, primarily on Facebook. I don’t blindly promo any friend who has a book on sale or an event coming up. I want to ensure that my reading friends will…

Blog Tip: Graphics for Your Blog

I have a friend starting up a blog, so I thought I’d randomly write up some tips. Hope others find them useful as well. This blog post deals with finding graphics. Graphics make your blog more enticing, especially if you are sharing it on social media. So I thought I’d share how I produce graphics…

How I Write a Short Story a Week

Last year, I wrote two short stories and they came hard. This year I’ve written 35 short stories. Thirty of those were done in 30 consecutive weeks. Two of them won Honorable Mentions from Writers of the Future. I’m continuing on until I get a full 52 short stories in 52 weeks. Here are my…

Dealing with Altitude

Last night was my first good sleep at altitude. Usually the day after the second good night’s sleep, my altitude issues are fully gone and I can exercise at my normal level. So I’m doing great! Without any drugs this normally takes more than three weeks. With Acetylzolamide (Diamox) taken judiciously (a half tablet the…