Category Archives: Writer’s Quirks

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 [...]

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 [...]

Me and Woody and Johnny

Check out this clip of Johnny Depp appearing on the Letterman show a couple of years ago (circa the release of Public Enemies). More pontification follows the clip: What Letterman can’t seem to comprehend – and maybe this is what defines what has proven to be his dubious character over the years – is why [...]

Disenfranchised

Coming off of a trilogy about Ghostwriting, it’s only appropriate that I address the issue of franchises. After all writing for a franchise is a lot like ghosting – there’s more money involved than the average writer bags for his/er own work, and while your name is on the cover, it’s somebody else’s sandbox you’re [...]

Cynical Guy

There’s still a few things the old subconscious is working out for the climax of And That’s the End of the News. There was another shower lightning strike, and I had to keep cycling the thoughts through my head until I could get to the iBook and jot them down in Stickies. Then there was [...]

Deadline Redux

As lousy as I felt dragging myself out of bed this morning, I should have just stayed up late and finished the chapter. As it was, I spent 10 to 15 minutes adding notes to the Reconciled Outline this morning. I thought about calling off sick so I could finish the chapter, and maybe the [...]

Urges

For reasons I can’t explain, about once every year or two I get an urge to start working on a book outside of the one I’m working on now. Normally this is part of the process I’ve already described except for one thing. The urge dictates that, in order to keep it separate from what [...]

Superstition

Allow me to add another writer’s superstition to my list (not that I have a huge list, but I have a few quirks). I’m no longer going to express any opinion on the work I hope to get done in days ahead. It’s a clear curse, a pox on my ambitions. Last Friday I said [...]

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