TFW you easily cut 10% out of that short story you swore you couldn't make any tighter just a week ago. It's amazing what a little distance can do for your clarity and objectivity regarding a piece of writing.

After my big push this week, I think it’s time for a day or two off from pretty much everything. Gonna enjoy the crisp morning air, the sunshine, my coffee, and a book. Might take a long walk later.

It took way more time and energy today than I expected, but my latest short story is out the door to an anthology open call. The story ended up being very different from what I imagined when I started writing it, but it was a very fun experience. Fingers crossed!

TFW you're planning out the final movement of the story and suddenly realize it's become a metaphor for suicide. I don't want to write a metaphor for suicide. Welp, time to rethink some key elements of this narrative and bend the arc in a more hopeful direction.

Read books and learn things.

It's book launch day! Want a distraction from the madness of the world? How about 17 great stories about gryphons, one of them by me? Epic, urban, and historical fantasy abounds. Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and Nook/B&N!

I thought I could finish two stories on a weekend I’d also booked a getaway with my wife. I finished one but can’t finish the other by the deadline. I beat myself up over it for a while, but I made peace with the fact that I overcommitted myself. There will be other chances to use that second story.

Submitted my first round story for NYCMidnight's #RhymingStoryChallenge. That was a ton of fun. Fingers crossed I make it to the next round, but I'm looking forward to getting feedback no matter what. Now to finish that short story I'm writing for Monday's submission deadline!

SUPER excited to share that I have a short story coming out in an anthology this month! In "Storm Patrol", a newly-bonded gryphon rider must deal with her judgmental mount, her reckless older sister, and a magical thunderstorm -- all at the same time. Releasing Sep 15 on most major platforms!

I rediscovered the power of writing sprints this week. In three hours across two evenings, I added ~3250 words to the story I'm working on. There's something freeing about the timer, the focus, the accountability. The words need heavy editing, but that's so much easier now that they're on the page!

Trying a local breakfast place as I write this morning. Looks awesome to me! Maybe it will inspire awesome words.

What — and I cannot stress this enough — the fuck?

I enrolled in a short story class, so I checked my idea file for inspiration. I was surprised to find more than fifty ideas there! I recommend keeping a story idea file. It can be a Google doc, a note on your phone, or a box of scrap paper. Whatever form it takes, jot down those ideas for later!

Nice to know there is still sometimes justice.

Some great insights from @janefriedman.com in this article discussing how the publishing industry has changed over the past ten years. More options and more paths to success for independent authors! janefriedman.com/how-publishi...

I didn’t remember to take many pictures at WorldCon, but I did get to see a bunch of big names at a couple of panels and came home with a bunch of loot! It was a great time. Hoping to go next year, too.

My journey to WorldCon begins! Well, technically it began a few hours ago when I left home, but now I’m at the airport ready to board the plane. Looking forward to five days of SFF geekery and writing craft and business panels.

TFW you planned to work on rewriting your novel's opening, but a weird idea bounced around in your brain all night, and you woke up compelled to explore it more deeply, and suddenly you've outlined a fantasy short story about the destabilizing impact of rapid change on the human psyche...

I sold a short story! Yay! When I'm free to post more about it, I will. I may have danced around in my office for a few minutes when I got the word. 😁

I am a recurring host on the Game Master’s Book Club podcast, where we talk about novels and how we’d use them to run TTRPG games. In the latest episode, we had @melissacaruso.bsky.social on as a guest to talk about her latest book and tease her upcoming one! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

That 4-chapter, 14K-word new beginning I recently wrote for my book? I’m going to tear it apart, chuck half of it, and rewrite the rest. And I’m excited about that? Yup, I am. I think I understand now why some people spend years writing a book…

WorldCon 2025 is just a few days away! I'm looking forward to being in Seattle -- I do wish I'd arranged to get there a couple days early -- connecting with other writers and catching up with friends who'll be there. If you'll be there and would like to connect, give me a shout.

I've been quiet, between a theater production going up this weekend and simultaneous writing-related activities, but today I get to share my first "look at this book with my name on it" post! I've got a short story in this anthology, launching Aug 1! You can check it out at books2read.com/u/4XMNx6.

How do these businesses not understand that money is the fuel for the engine of the economy. When people don't have money to buy things, everything will stop.

And Trump is an evil man.

After wrestling with a plot knot for days, I channelled my inner Asimov. Before bed, I wrote out the problem longhand -- character and scene elements, what I wanted to achieve. Then I went to sleep. When I woke up, the answer came to me, and I jotted it down right away. Subconscious processing FTW!

Another short story rejection. The editor had a positive comment, which is great. I do wish the rejection reason had been listed in the submission guidelines -- the publisher doesn't do present tense -- but I'll tweak the story and submit it to a new market. I hope you all have great news today!

The data is unequivocal over the past 40 years. Democrats fix economies that Republicans break.

Anyone surprised he’s lying about that? Bueller? Bueller?

After trying to destroy federal funding for libraries through an executive order, Trump is now attempting to do it through his proposed budget. Take action today! bit.ly/4cXcPFj via @everylibrary.bsky.social

I've written a 14K-word new beginning to my novel. I'm an over-writer and will trim it. I have to close two gaps and cut other stuff, then I'll evaluate the plot to make sure the timing of major beats works, and then it'll be ready for beta readers. Life happened, but I *will* finish this book.

No kings

Donald Trump and his enablers do not believe in freedom. They believe in power, and they believe that those who truly understand the promise of America will cower in fear at desperate attempts at intimidation.

We have entered the "The police is saying that if the police is at your door you are not safe call the police immediately" stage of making America great again

Minnesota police acknowledge that the targeted attack on lawmakers is an act of terrorism — politicly motivated with the intention/goal of intimidating civilians

I've considered trying a NYC Midnight challenge before, and I've decided this is the one for me. Join me in the @nycmidnight.bsky.social Rhyming Story Challenge on September 5th! Learn more at nycmidnight.com/rhyme

Pro tip: Research how a thing works before you design a scene with that thing as a key plot point, write the scene, rewrite the scene based on feedback, and rewrite the scene again to really deliver the character beat you're looking for. Trust me. Honestly, I thought I knew how the thing worked.

Funny how they're fine attacking states' rights and taking away freedom of assembly and speech when they do it. Double standards and hypocrisy are the order of the day. Republicans' definition of freedom is "freedom to live like I tell you to."

He didn't send the National Guard when this happened.

Last week was my final full-time week at my software job. Starting tomorrow, I do creative work Mon/Fri and engineering stuff Tue-Thu. I’m looking forward to the shift and getting more writing done!

Help draw the line on book bans in Huntington Beach, California. action.everylibrary.org/linehuntington via @everylibrary.bsky.social‬

It seems I’ve become the guy who wakes up at 5-5:30 AM no matter what conditions I set up to try to sleep later. I did not intend to join the 5 AM Writers Club, but here I am, making the best of it.

When outlining my book, I had an idea that I did not include in the first drafts. To add it, it must be key to the story, else it's not needed. My wife asked me a question, and fireworks went off in my brain. Now I'm planning a major overhaul of the main subplot. Whatever serves the story, we do.

My physical TBR pile gets taller and taller. As I sit here doing my day job, all I want to do is turn off that laptop and dive into studying my craft books…

~ Pope Leo ~

In fact, the more that I think about it, the more I think this would the subgenre of romance I would actually try to write. “Write what you know,” says the writing adage, and I’ve got nearly 2.5 decades of experience with married life.