Hi, [Medical and Literary Updates: I’m still finding it difficult to focus for long periods of time, which makes the writing more difficult, of course. Some of it’s mental fuzziness, although most of that disappeared after I stopped taking pain medication, The rest of it is because of my daily routine now. One of the …
Hi, [Medical and Literary Updates: I’m finding it difficult to focus for long periods of time, which makes the writing more difficult, of course. Some of it’s mental fuzziness, although most of that disappeared after I stopped taking pain medication, The rest of it is because of my daily routine now. One of the things …
Newsletter 056 – February 9, 2024 Hi, The previous newsletter was about opportunities (like grants and paid residencies), which can be excellent resources for writers (when they are successful), but can also be time-wasters (when they don’t pan out). Anything that wastes a writer’s time isn’t good for their productivity, of course, so it’s important …
Newsletter 050 – November 10, 2023 Hi, Disclaimer: This newsletter and the one that will follow it (and the eight that preceded them) were written in advance. This was done to allow me to focus on tasks I have to complete before I can publish my next books (Flood and Fire and Jagged Man). Today’s …
Newsletter 032 – February 10, 2023 Hi, Back in December I applied for a writer’s residency at Cove Park, Scotland. Cove Park is an international artists residency center located on a 50-acre rural site about twenty miles northwest of Glasgow. I hope to be granted a four-week residency there to work on my novel, The …
This is a question I’ve often asked myself, and I would imagine most writers who have looked seriously at their craft have also wondered, “Do I have what it takes?” I’m going to hand the microphone (metaphorically) over to one of the most successful screenwriters of all time, Terry Rossio. He wrote, co-wrote, or headed …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] I’ve been involved in creative fields most of my life (actor, deejay, voice work, photography, graphic design, etc.), so I understand how much work goes into the product before the public gets to see it. Rehearsing for a play is often six to eight weeks …
You’re facing the blank page, and nothing’s happening (either in your mind or with your fingers). No words are appearing on the screen (I almost said “on the page,” but my tech-geek gene stopped me). Writer’s block has arrived. Or has it? True writer’s block, I think, is more feared than experienced. Let’s pause for …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] I have (over the past two years) written a few posts about the idea of using the phrase “What if” as an idea generator for developing a plot. “What if” novels are often about large historical events, like Kennedy’s assassination, the D-Day invasion, or the …
[Originally posted on my former blog, Michael Runs the Gamut] A couple of weeks ago, a question was asked at the [now defunct] Fiction Writers and Editors Group at LinkedIn. It was simply, “What are you working on?” After I had responded, along with a hundred or so other writers, it occurred to me that …