Lying awake in Room 228, I hear a voice outside. It is the voice of the ocean, howling in the night, whitecaps dress her in mystery. In the morning, I am delighted to find, She is clothed in a calm blueish green. A freighter on the horizon, destination unknown, Singapore, Busan, Yingkou, Piraues, Barcelona? Exotic … More Exit Zero
A new writer in my writer’s group wanted to know tricks to getting the writing done. Here is the advice I gave to her. Here is what I think about getting the writing done. Embrace the life. Some of the best advice I was ever given for being a cook is you need to embrace … More How the cookies get made.
Here are the four writers whose faces I would chisel into the granite of Mt. Rushmore. When I pondered this list I see that all four men have qualities that I like and want to have as a writer. Perseverance: Rejection wasn’t a barrier but an obstacle to overcome and move forward. Prolific: All these … More My Mt. Rushmore
A finer education one could not have got, Than to read the tales from this manly lot. John Thorton and his canine Buck, Martin Eden who in the end ran out of luck. Baring fangs, flights and fights, London told of the North, and those who lived afar. Strapping on six shooters, rounding up … More Poetry: In the footsteps of London, L’amour, and King
I use to write poetry. I like it. Tight verses, powerful words, with punction to fence it in, I need to write more poetry. ————————————————————————————————————————————– Today, I learned that a member of my writing group passed away because of this virus. I only really knew Joe from his writing and the few interactions that I … More Poetry and a guy named Joe
Every writer should watch the Jerry Seinfeld documentary, The Comedian. The film takes place after Jerry’s hit show Seinfeld went off the air. Jerry decides to retire all his old material and create a new stand up routine. The documentary though isn’t just about Seinfeld but also shows the rise of an up and comer … More It’s Jerry Seinfeld
Stan Lee was the first writer to have an impact on me with his scripting of Amazing Spider-Man. But Charles M. Schulz was the second writer to rock my world. I read and re-read every Peanuts book in our school library. The great thing about his writing is he doesn’t write down to anybody. There … More Charles M. Schulz – Happy Birthday
As a writer, I love sub-cultures that have their own lingo and a rich history to pull from. Today, marks the Marine Corps 244th birthday and few organization have the richness of vocabulary terms as these fine folks. Whopper Jr., Oscar Mike, Lock and loaded, Devildog, Jarhead, Outstanding, I’ve got your six are just a … More This is my pen…Happy Birthday Marines
Watching the Nationals win the World Series the other night got me to thinking that maybe I need an at bat walk up song to get me in the mood before writing. In Stephen King’s book, On Writing, he mentions when he got his first rejection, with an editor’s note on it, he felt like … More At Bat
Last night, as I was eating my Cubano sandwich and drinking beer, I gazed down the table and a revelation hit me. This is what I have been working to achieve the last few years. Here I was having dinner with fellow writers. People who love the craft as much as I do. People who … More Stop to smell the roses
