I’ve decided to take the plunge. “What plunge?” you may ask.  “Is it marriage?  A new job?  How about adopting a puppy?” No, no and no in that order.  Heck, switch the answers around if you like. In this case, the plunge I’m talking about is Nanowrimo 2006.  What is Nanowrimo?  Simply put, it is National Novel Writing Month or to explain it another way, it is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Monumental task? Hell yes!  To put it into perspective (my perspective, naturally), it took me 30 months to crank out a 90,000 word fantasy novel which I am still editing. So what makes me think that I can possibly do such a crazy […]

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For you project managers out there (and you know who you are), how do you both begin and end a project?  Hmmm…  OK, since you’re shy, I’ll tell you.  You always begin and end a project with a celebration.  Why?  I think it’s because PM’s really like to drink… oh wait, that’s not it.  Actually, it’s to mark a definite beginning (and build the team synergies) and to create a definite end. Great.  So what? Well, believe it or not, your writing can be classified as a project, or better yet, as a series of projects.  Does that mean you should head out for a barley sandwich everytime you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? Not quite. It does […]

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Let’s start things out by asking ourselves a question: “How many people know that I am a writer?”  Hopefully the answer will reflect your ultimate ambitions for your writing. For example, if all you want out of your writing is a private pleasure, solely for your own enjoyment, it’s perfectly fine that the only one who knows you write is the sock puppet that decorates your bedpost.  But would that be enough if you plan to make a career out of your writing? “But Mike”, you say, “who would I tell and how?  I don’t know anyone in the publishing industry who might care.” To you I can only respond, “Fear not, young Jedi.  It’s not as daunting a prospect as […]

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One of my (many) weekly chores, at least during the summer, is mowing, raking and trimming my lawn.  I like to get started early in the AM before the day gets too hot and (because my family likes to sleep in) it frees up the rest of the day for family (see quality) time. I finish all my work, put away the mower, gas trimmer and tools and stand back to admire my handiwork.  Invariably, I notice some blemish to my work (damn, where did that thistle come from?  what the hell?  fairy rings?  Crap!)  So I trudge back to my shed and pull out a trimming shears and garbage bags and trim the errant pieces of grass that the […]

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