2023 (and maybe some 2022) front page thoughts
It's December, and I am woefully behind in a lot of things.
The Woolley Awards were announced just over a week ago. I did far better than I expected. While I submitted 20 poems in three categories, I honestly hoped for two or three of them to win...
Two books and a renewed determination
It's been a crazy few months.
I wrote 70,000 words for NaNo in November, then kept working on the book in December and January. I'm finally to the final conflict and probably over 100,000 words, so it'll need to be cut back, but it gives me...
A Light in the Darkness
As I've mentioned before, I was born with a genetic disorder that will eventually lead to total blindness. It's not uncommon in my family. One brother and several cousins have it, as well as other relatives. I was legally blind by the time I turned...
Mentors and Contests and Reviews, Oh My!
I have been writing, off and on, for a long time. I'd go through spurts of activity, then get busy with other things and not do much for a while, then have another spurt of activity.
I wrote a number of poems and stories in college and...
Find Your Niche
Well, my track record for getting into the HWA's Poetry Showcase remains unbroken. I didn't even get the formal, we enjoyed your poem but... I got a brief, "we did not accept your poem". It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. I either have...
Seeing the Fruits of My Labors
For me as a writer, this has been an incredible year. It started last fall when I submitted stories and poems to several anthologies and to a magazine.
But it wasn't until this year that those bore fruit. Well, except for one anthology....
Using Pseudonyms
This is a sample blog post
I've been on a couple of panels about pseudonyms over the years. I use one. Soon I'll have two. So, I thought I'd share why.
As I've said before, my first publication was in high school, thanks...
The Benefits of Writing Groups
When I was in college, I was invited to join a writing group called "Xenobia." It had writers like Dave Wolverton, Lynn Worthen, M. Shayne Bell, Kathleen-Dalton Woodbury, to name a few. They were writing and publishing. I…had some poetry in "The Leading...
LTUE 2023
LTUE 2023 had a number of really good panels this year. There were some writing panels I would have liked to attend if I had more time. I missed the first day, but I was pleased by what I saw.
I especially enjoyed the two panels I was privileged...
Here's To the Night Owls!
I have always been a night owl. In high school, I'd regularly be up until 1 or 2 in the morning, then get up for an early-morning class. (There were too many classes I wanted to take, so I always took an early morning class.)
In college,...