Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

WORD: The Pressure to Perform

Posted: 12th January 2016 by jazzdog in Creativity, Word
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Chris Lough, in a recent Tor.com column, reflected on George R. R. Martin’s struggle to complete The Winds of Winter, the sixth installment of Game of Thrones. For Martin, the increasing pressure to complete a manuscript reduces his creative output. His cure is to find other outlets to let off some steam and shift his […]

MUSIC: Favorite Musicians for 2015

Posted: 28th December 2015 by jazzdog in Creativity, Music
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

I shared some of the authors I’ve been reading in 2015 last week. Now for some music! I love all kinds of music, but these artists especially caught my attention. Who were you listening to in 2015? Leave a comment and share the joy! St. Paul and the Broken Bones Paul Janeway is an R&B […]

Landing Your Next Writing Goal

Posted: 10th March 2014 by jazzdog in Aviation, CHAIN REACTION, Creativity, DIRTY WATER, Story, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, Uncategorized, Writing
Tags: , , ,
0

A great joy in my life, other than writing, has been flying. Not the big commercial jets, but small, single engine airplanes. One of the basic things every pilot learns sooner or later is that the more you try to control the airplane, the less control you have. When I first started flying, I recall […]

Writers League of Texas

Posted: 28th February 2014 by jazzdog in Award Winning, Conferences, Creativity, Novel, Texas, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, Uncategorized, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

I’ve been featured on the Writers League of Texas blog to promote their literary contest. A sci-fi manuscript of mine, SHAPER, won in the sci-fi/fantasy category and the first Nick Sibelius novel, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, was a finalist in the 2011 contest. Check it out.  

A Writer’s Companion: Fear

Posted: 2nd February 2014 by jazzdog in Creativity, Life, Publishing, Writing
Tags: , , , ,
0

If you spend enough time around authors and aspiring authors, you begin to sense a force wending its way through hearts and minds. Fear. As aspiring authors we may fear we’re just not good enough for publication. Or worse, what if the thing we want so much, to be published, exposes our flaws and shortcomings […]

My Annual Holiday Blog Post!!!

Posted: 9th December 2013 by jazzdog in Award Winning, Creativity, DIRTY WATER, Texas, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Given it’s December, this must be my annual holiday blog post!!! I cannot offer unending pop star carols in the background, no flashing lights, fake snow on plastic trees or even a mocha pumpkin cinnamon double whip with red and green sprinkles. Sorry. I can point out how this holiday month for various religious traditions […]

Where Art Thou, Continuity?

Posted: 14th October 2013 by jazzdog in Award Winning, Creativity, DIRTY WATER, Novel, Story, Texas, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, Uncategorized, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

Continuity, especially in a longer novel with a complex plot, can be a real challenge. As the story evolves from the first draft, every aspect of the novel deepens with detail. The setting, from the time of day, time of year, climate, architecture, flora and fauna–the list is almost endless–becomes more defined on the second, […]

Do What You Love

Posted: 8th October 2013 by jazzdog in Creativity, Digital Media, Marketing, Novel, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing
Tags: , , , , ,
0

James Stewart’s column in the New York Times, “Long Odds for Authors Newly Published”  about J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith’s book, Cuckoo’s Calling  has left me pondering what writing is all about these days.  In the article, Stewart discusses how Cuckoo’s Calling under the Galbraith name had to be shopped around at publishers and then, depending on […]

Author Chat: Audra Middleton

Posted: 16th September 2013 by jazzdog in Author Interview, Creativity, Interview, Publishing, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
3

I very pleased to have fellow author Audra Middleton with me on the blog.  We recently shared duties as co-facilitators of a session about finding the right critique group at the 2013 Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference.  Audra, thanks for being with me today. It’s always good to have a fellow Champagne Books author in […]

The Business of Writing

Posted: 20th May 2013 by jazzdog in Creativity, Marketing, Publishing, Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

Jane Friedman, who writes a blog on the business of writing, has shared an infographic which offers one of the better descriptions of the evolving publishing world. Often conversations about the many paths writers might take include a level of angst (oh my God, we’re all going to die!), defensiveness (my way is better than […]

Older Entries