I once had a college professor who derided video games as the curse of the century and a deplorable waste of time. Maybe he would have been surprised to know that playing video games inspired me to write all three of my novels. The games may have appeared silly and inconsequential, yet they engaged my […]
Wasting Time Productively Read More »
There is no good reason for me to ever be bored. I live on a rock that is hurtling through space at 30 kilometers per second; I am technically on a thrill ride every day of my life, soaring through space and time, a ride that like any roller coaster will someday end. So why
Seeking the Strange in the Familiar Read More »
Both my mind and my eyes routinely deceive me. Though this sounds like the definition of insanity, it is also an explanation for phenomena like optical illusions, or why we perceive that the sun is sinking below the horizon when actually the Earth is moving. Sometimes my mind is right. Other times my eyes do
The Elusive Treasure of Honest Observation Read More »
Every time I begin a new novel, I feel like a beginner again. In a panic I worry I have forgotten everything I have ever learned about the craft. I search my mind for the encyclopedia of writing techniques that are supposed to be stored in my library of knowledge, but the screen of my
Writing Means Believing in the “Real yet Unborn” Read More »
Since I have realized I am only dreaming, my relief has been immeasurable. Not that my dream is all bad. I am dreaming that I recently moved to a place called Pompano Beach. I am living in an apartment with a balcony overlooking a lake, a place where I like to write. I must have
How I Know I Have Been Dreaming Since 2016 Ended Read More »
I. I have made friends with darkness. There is a warmth in it, the dusky comfort of a plush teddy bear or the soothing delight of just-baked brownies. I discovered the warmth of darkness two years ago when, at age 25, I lost my vision to a degenerative disease. At first the darkness scared me.
The Silence Feeders (Short Story) Read More »
As a fiction writer, I often wonder what kind of character I am. Am I a sympathetic character, or are there scenarios in which I could be a villain? Most people, I suspect, could be either in extreme situations. But my introspection regarding stories goes beyond good and evil. I wonder if I am a
The Dramatic Power of Imperfect Decisions Read More »
Months ago I received a letter from my sanity imploring me to go off Twitter. It was delivered first class, so it must have been an emergency. However, I wanted to stay on Twitter, so I just filed the letter away. In recent days, however, my sanity began blasting me with emails ordering me to
My Farewell to Twitter Read More »
I am moving to Pompano Beach this month. Good thing I do not have a “real” job to quit. The awesome thing about being a novelist is we are infinitely portable. Fling us across the globe and we will write just the same, continuing to spin words into imaginary worlds as if nothing has changed.
Writing by the Light of a Different Star Read More »
For too much of my life I had the impression that writing was something that happened to you because the gods of inspiration had chosen you, not something that you did. The result was helpless frustration. I sought ways to make my elusive moments of inspiration visit me more often. I wanted to know how
Why I Prefer Process to “Inspiration” Read More »
