Signs That I’m Not Normal, #237
I was sitting in a government office today, waiting my turn to change my mailing address since I will soon be moving. About 40 minutes after I arrived, my number…
So It Goes
Today, I am heartsick. Humanity seems to be accelerating down a path of darkness and irrationality the likes of which we have not seen in centuries, and satire is of…
The Way My Mind Works…
So, my brain has decided to write a biography. It gave me a title, This Dysfunctional Life, and an opening sentence, "This is not a happy story." The first chapter…
The News Isn’t All Bad
Last week, I received an email telling me that my short story "Nary a Ghost of a Chance" was accepted for publication in the next issue of JOURN-E: The Journal…
Markets? I’ve Known a Few…
I don't understand markets. Honestly, it's a miracle that I have ever had anything published. As some of you will know, last year I wrote a cycle of short stories…
Frequently Unasked Questions About…Writing (1)
1. How do you deal with writer's block? My experience has been that creativity is like a muscle: the more you exercise it, the easier it is to use. Or,…
Everything’s Connected
I don't always connect new stories to my wider fictional universe. Most of the stories in the Antonio Van derr Wahl/Singularity cycle, for instance, only connect to that universe. In…
The Insatiable Maw Must Be Fed!
Imagine embarking on a weekly writing project. Let's say your goal is to write three pieces a week with an average of 750 words per piece, totaling 2,250 words. First…
Mixed Feelings, As Always
Yesterday, my nephew started singing "When I'm 64." Great choice. Love the Beatles. My birthday is the 8th of July, not the 7th. And I'm only 63 this year, not…
That Was the Day That Was
So, I spent the first few hours completing the first draft of a new novella, "Land of Wonders." It's a kind of surreal urban fantasy with absurdist tendencies. From the…
How’s 2023 So Far?
A couple of months ago, I attended the opening of a science fiction exhibition for which a friend of mine (Hugh Spencer) was a consultant. It was an interesting exploration…
Love Letter to a City
In the middle of January, I decided that I wanted to write a series of short stories set at the Canadian National Exhibition. Not sure why, really. I mean, I…