I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge and as usual it’s Aaron throwing down the gauntlet.  Well, my friend, your challenge is accepted.  En garde! I’m going to look at this holiday season with a slightly different view.  But then, don’t I always?  That’s the beauty of five different writers on the site.  There’s bound to be one that errs on the side of the unusual.  I think it must be my turn by now. So what exactly do I plan to “deck the halls” with?  Not boughs of holly, I’m afraid.  You can never find fresh holly when you want it.  So, instead, I’m going to go with more of a writer’s flair.  I’m going to deck […]

I’ve got to confess, I’m a bit surprised and maybe even a little freaked out.  In the past week, I’ve had two different people (who have never met, by the way), who first asked me how my book publishing is going and then said, “I really want to read your book so I can get in your head”.  Is it just me or is there something just a little bit spooky (and un-nerving, not to mention just plain weird). I honestly didn’t realize that I was so darn fascinating. It makes me understand why some authors decides to use pseudonyms.  I mean, who wants to let the world see what really makes them tick?  In some (many?) cases, a writer […]

We’ve all talked about how we handle the whole writing process.  Sean in particular has talked about setting up a routine to crank out 1,000 words per day, by hook or by crook.  To be perfectly honest, other than setting myself a daily writing target (especially during Nanowrimo) I haven’t been overly conscious of routine in my writing. At least, until now. Like many people, I am naturally a procrastinator deep down.  When things are going well, it’s easy to sit down every night and write.  But when uncertainty sets in… watch out.  I have very little trouble  putting off what I “should be doing” for whatever catches my fancy at the moment. Case in point was the past ten days.  […]

By now, you all have probably heard that I finished my 50,000 word novel a week ago Monday.  It was with an intense sigh of relief that I “Officially” was declared a winner on the 25th.  I’ve now got the certificate and everything to prove it.  You’ve also heard that my first submission was not the success I had hoped for.  So what have I done in the intervening days? Well… I actually spent some time with my family, which was great.  They put up with me disappearing for hours on end (well, minutes, anyway) to write on the Nano project.  I still spent time with them, but not as much some days as I would have liked.  A re-evaluated […]