Why I Don’t Argue on Twitter
For me, a good argument—one which I will grow from—requires three things: Being with someone I know well and respectBeing about a subject I care aboutBeing in a private place The last reason is why I choose not to argue on Twitter.
The Three Groups of Twitter Tweeters
Before I engage someone on Twitter, I try to put them into one of three Twitter groups: givers, neutrals, and bullies. The first group, the givers, are rare. These tweeters are consistently putting out helpful content and amplifying others in a positive way. The...
One Of Twitter’s Greatest Strengths
Twitter can be problematic, but let me share one of its greatest strengths: its ability to translate and connect an “in real life” (IRL) connection in the digital domain. Here’s an example. Let’s say you attend an in-person writing conference, and you hear a literary...
Doing The Scrivener Tutorial—Again!
I’ve used the writing software Scrivener for several years, and I am comfortable with most of it’s basic functions, but over the last week I did the tutorial again. Why? Not to learn how to use the software—I already know that—but instead to review how I think as I...
Passion + Habit = Success
In best-selling author James Patterson’s Masterclass on writing, he states that the key to success is passion plus habit. I agree. Passion acts as the emotional energy, but habit is the discipline that allows one to harness it. I am reasonably solid in both, but if I...
My Desk Totem For My Writing Space
My desk totem for my writing space—my creative space—is a baby dragon hatching from an egg. It’s the one personal item I have on my desk. I selected it for a specific reason: It is a reminder that no matter how powerful an idea will become, at birth it can be fragile...
SEO, Email Lists, and Newsletters
Although I’ve blogged daily for nearly two years, I haven’t focused on SEO, I haven’t created an email list, and I haven’t done a newsletter. This has been an intentional choice, since the principle purpose of my blog was to strengthen a daily habit of writing. But as...
Nerves
I started a new, significant writing project on Oct 1st. And now? I have “nerves.” Not quite the first day of medical school nerves—and not the first day of a 24/hour shift as an intern in a Level I Trauma Center nerves—but nerves all the same. Why? Because I know the...
A Podcast Jewel and a Novel as a Quilt
In the recent write-minded podcast episode Craft-minded series: Craft as Shaper of Story, featuring Morgan Talty the cohost, Grant Faulkner, made the following insightful comment: A quilt is a good metaphor for a collection of linked stories…Grant Faulkner Indeed he...
My Favorite Blog Post from September
My favorite post I wrote in September 2022 was Nietzsche’s 12 Qualities of a Scholar. Nietzsche was a master observer of the human condition, and I think he understood the scholars of his time better than they did themselves. Not only that, I think his list applies...