Category Archives: Creative Process

Our Novels, Our Children

Like most writers, one of the most commonly asked questions I get from folks who hear I’ve written more than one novel is, “Which one is your favorite?” When I got that question, I used to say, “Whichever one I’m working on at the moment.” The problem was, people didn’t get that answer. Most of [...]

Unwritten Sequels

I don’t know where you come down on the idea of sequels. Cinematically, I’m really tired of them… it’s like proof once again that Hollywood is officially out of ideas. Not that I haven’t been tempted. With every novel I’ve published (or, as in the case of The Mushroom Shift, am about to publish), I [...]

To Thine Own Writing Be True

It’s been an interesting experience getting The Mushroom Shift ready for publication. I mean, here is a novel I wrote almost 25 years ago, and as I’m reading it, and as I’m having my Kindle read it to me as part of the proofreading process, I’m discovering something about it that I hadn’t expected. It’s [...]

Thinking About Thinking

I’ve had a chance to do a lot of thinking lately. Okay, technically we think all of the time. I mean creative thinking. After being a bad master for a number of years, I’ve started to walk the dog for a half an hour or so on most days, and having nothing to clutter my [...]

Curious Affectation

Okay, somebody explain why in the heck I do this. It’s something I’ve been conscious of for years, and it never seemed to bother me until a week or so ago. That’s when I got an email that inspired this recent post. At one point, the correspondent said, I go out and buy notebooks and [...]

Ghostwriters in Disguise, Part II

So if you’re often deprived of glory on the cover of a book, why ghostwrite at all? I think that’s all explained in this excellent article on NPR. But I can see from the look on your face that you won’t click the link and read the article. You want me to tell about my [...]

It Really Wants to be Written

In fact, it’s begging me now. The UFO Novel, that is. While I was brushing my teeth this morning, one of the three main characters started talking to me.  I had to run downstairs and transcribe what he said into Scrivener’s notes section so I wouldn’t forget what he said. Then he sat in the [...]

Turn It On Again

Time to be creative again. Once upon a time, not too long ago, I didn’t want to be creative anymore. The whole thing with chasing the creative process seemed useless and futile to me. I got so annoyed with having ideas popping into my head that I didn’t have time to do anything about that [...]

I Crashed An International Symposium on Global Warming and All I Got Was This Stupid Hole in the Ground

I’m not going to go into detail lest I endanger the job of the concierge who let me slip in the door (or, rather, fell for the line I fed him), but I really did. I slipped through the doors of the conference center and hung out for a day with a host of brilliant [...]

Fear of Lemons and Other Tales of Unnecessary Risk Avoidance

First, watch this video, if you dare: Now here’s my take: This is all very interesting… but I’m not going to stop with the lemon slices because frankly, if this is true, my body could use the disease causing bacteria. Seriously. The immune systems of astronauts crash after so many days in space. It’s because [...]

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