My Idea for a 2023 Podcast
At the beginning of 2023, I plan to start a podcast, and I finally have a topic in mind: physician-writers. I like this topic because it covers a broad range of interests of mine but within the context of a narrow focus. I see myself talking about writing, creativity,...
Pinning Down a Pen Name
I’ve finally pinned down pen name for myself for my fiction writing: Wyeth Quinn. Selecting a pen name is no easy task. It needs to be unique, relatively easy to spell, and have both domain name and Twitter handle availability. It also needs to “feel” right. I...
Amplifying Excellence Via Twitter
I like to amplify excellence using Twitter. I recently attended a writing conference where two of the speakers, working together, were excellent. They were able to interactively share extensive and complex legal information to a room of over 100 people over 2 1/2...
Creative Walks
I go out for a walk each day from variety of reasons. First and foremost, it’s for the physical exercise (for me, at this time in my life, walking and health are intimately related). I also use my walks as mental exercise. I always have a podcast ready to go, and I...
Being Late
There's only one reason for being late to a meeting: poor planning. That's why I see it as a sign of disrespect towards the person (or persons) I committed to meeting: they weren't worth the effort to plan for carefully. Simply put, I see being late as a deep personal...
My Default Answer is No
I have a well defined mission in my life, so when acquaintances ask me to do something, my default answer is generally no (unlikely when my wife asks me to do something, where my defat answer is yes). Unfortunately, when some people are persistent enough, a yes...
For “Personal Reasons”
I am not Mr. Manners, but there is one thing I know: when someone says, “For personal reasons, I don’t want to do this,” what they are really saying is “It’s none of your business why I don’t want to do this.” Robert Heinlein wrote a book called Friday, in which the...
The Ethics of Retweeting
I ran across a tweet the other day which raised an interesting point about retweeting. Paraphrasing, it suggested that we shouldn’t just consider the content of the retweet, but the why of our retweeting. Keeping in mind that a retweet is always a form of...
For Ikigai, What’s the Alternative to “Passion?”
As I have pointed out before (Why “Following Your Passion” is Overstated), I am not fond of the word passion as something noble to strive for, and it’s certainly not my favorite choice for the apex or driving force of pursuing one’s ikigai. But what are the...
My Three Top Books on The Craft of Writing
Here are three books I reread at least once every year: The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.On Writing Well, by William Zinsser.Writing Tools, by Roy Peter Clark. Combined, they cover most of what I need to know to become a solid journeyman in...
Incorporating Traits
I have American and British citizenship; I have lived in both places. If I better incorporate the positive traits of these peoples—for example, the American optimism and the British stoicism—and discard the negative traits of these peoples—examples of which I won't...
Death and Duty
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there's been quite a lot of talk over the past week. (Note: Here I am using the word “talk” liberally, including the superficial talk of TV presenters and the more superficial talk on Twitter.) Some of the talk has been about the...
Tearing Things Down
Some people like to tear things down, and then start from scratch. For writers and other artists, that can sometimes be a good idea. It also can be a good idea for home renovators, as we often see on HGTV. But for these creative “tear-downs”, one person usually has...
On Goals That Scare You
Goals should scare you a little, but inspire you a lot. Going to medical school scared me a little, but it changed my life. Running a marathon for the first time—especially because it was my first road race ever—scared me a little, but the feeling of running those...
Thoughts About Identity
Here's one definition of identity: The quality or condition of being the same in substance, composition, nature, properties, or in particular qualities under consideration; absolute or essential sameness; oneness.Oxford English Dictionary However the way we more...
Why “Following Your Passion” is Overstated
Here are several definitions of the word "passion." As a count noun: any strong, controlling, or overpowering emotion, as desire, hate, fear, etc.; an intense feeling or impulse.As a mass noun: strong or overpowering feeling or emotion.A fit, outburst, or state marked...
How My iPhone Can Change A Boring Lobby
Some people see will look at the photograph above and see a boring, bland lobby. Not me. While waiting for my father at his doctor's appointment, I see an opportunity to quietly write three or four blog posts! Having a proofed-out writing system in place for my iPhone...
On Angry Bitter People
Some people are gifted in how they engage angry, bitter folks. These gifted people aren't just empathetic, they are curious, and this helps them nudge these bitter folks to a more joyful state. Sadly, I am not one of these people. Now, granted, some of these skills of...
On Duty
Several definitions of duty: The action and conduct due to a superior; homage, submission; due respect, reverence; an expression of submission, deference, or respect.An action due to a feudal superior or lord of a manor.That which is owing to any one; (one's) due; a...
Twitter: A Character Filter?
One benefit of Twitter is that it disinhibits many people, allowing careful observers to gain insight not just into a these folks intellect, but into their character. Given time, a mean-spirited, small-souled person will show their true colors on Twitter—and when they...
The Problem With Creativity? Bias
We normally see personal creativity as a positive, and often it is. Consider one definition of create: Of a divine being or natural agency. To bring into being, cause to exist; esp. to produce where nothing was before.Oxford English Dictionary Who doesn’t want that...
Writing Conference + A Long Drive: Immersion via Podcast
I am driving two-three hours to a small Writers Conference in Centralia Washington this weekend (Southwest Washington Writers Conference) over back-to-back days. Is it worth it? You bet. Apart from being a smaller conference—which has the advantage of a low...
The Pivoting of an Ikigai Pivot
The verb pivot—first used in the mid 1800s‚is defined as follows: intransitive. To turn on, or as if on, a pivot; (Military) to swing round a central point during a manoeuvre. Also figurative: to depend on, to hinge on.Oxford English Dictionary It was based on the...
The Perfect Book Design
Say what you will. In terms of size, quality of paper, layout, portability, smell. weight, joy of being held I believe the books of the Loeb Classic Library are the vey best. The content's pretty good too!
On Angry-Tweeting
I see lots of Twitter nonsense online that I find offensive. Yet I do my very best not to "angry-tweet" in response. Why? Because it's both emotionally draining and ineffective and it just winds me up. Heck, angry-tweeting is nearly a form of self-abuse! "Don't ever...
Nietzsche’s 12 Qualities of a Scholar
Nietzsche's 12 Qualities of a Scholar: Probity and a sense for simplicity.Sharpsightedness for things close up; myopia for distant things.Sobriety and conventionality of nature.Poverty of feeling and aridity.Low self-esteem.Loyalty towards teachers and leaders.Routine...
The Lonely Song
Here’s a short quote from Schopenhauer as Educator: Yet there will always be demi-gods who can endure to live, and live victoriously under such terrible conditions; and if you want to hear their lonely song, listen to the music of Beethoven.Nietzsche (The terrible...
The Power Of Blogging For Writers
Blogging via open source software such as WordPress offers many benefits to a writer, but the power of WordPress blogging in a free country is this: You are the creator, the editor, and the publisher of your content. You determine its quality and quantity—for better...
My Nonfiction Writing Project Filters
A challenge I'm having right now is focusing and completing one of my nonfiction writing projects. I have several at various stages of completion: some at the conceptual stage, some at the outline stage, and two with several thousand words already written. Yet I'm...
My Achilles’ Heel
I am gearing up for a significant personal 6-month project which starts October 1st. For me, the question isn’t whether I have the brain power, or the creativity, or the skill, or the energy, or the time, or the seed money, or the talent. It’s whether I have the...