So, to business. If for no other reason than in a doubtless doomed attempt to impress you all, let’s start with a quote from the mercurial French writer, Jules Renard, writing in his journal: “A fly alighting on the sheet of white paper was excuse enough to give himself the right to be idle. He did not write, for fear of …
Finding Time to Write, Part 1
A couple of years ago I was asked to give a talk to the Mid-Missouri Writers’ Guild about how to find time to write. I suppose I was quite well qualified to waffle on about this, since – at the time – I was running my own law firm, overseeing operations of the largest outside water park in mid-Missouri (both …
Death Becomes Me
For all those of you who are contemplating writing a multi-generation saga for your next novel, a word of warning for you. All of my previous books have taken place over a relatively short time period. One of the things I wanted to do with my new novel was to expand that rather tired palette (to mix artistic metaphors) and …
The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Novelist
People sometimes ask me what characteristic is most important for a writer to possess. I expect they’re waiting for me to say that you need a felicitous turn of phrase, an outrageous imagination, an overweening ego, or something similar. Now, perhaps all of those things might help, in some shape or form, but if I had to choose the one …
Inspiring Quote About Inspiration
When asked if he wrote to a regular schedule, or just when he was struck by inspiration, Somerset Maugham answered, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” Clever man. If you sit around waiting for inspiration to strike before you begin writing, guess what? Inspiration will toddle off and do something else. …