Fantasy

I write a lot of fantasy fiction. It began when I was in high school. I like fantasy because it’s about what’s not possible. My journey into fantasy didn’t begin with writing, but with art. Fantasy allowed me to explore my imagination—there was no limit to what I could draw. It could get silly at … Continue reading Fantasy

Painting from Memory

This week, I found an old mind-to-hand exercise painting from 1986. I occasionally did mind-to-hand exercise paintings to keep my coordination and reflexes sharp. Instead of painting something in front of me—a still-life, for example—I painted from memory, which is what mind-to-hand exercise painting is. I used acrylic paints because of their quick drying time … Continue reading Painting from Memory

Reminiscing, part 2

I’m still peeking at my old photos when I should be labeling their storage boxes. I can’t help reminiscing when I do. (You can read Part 1 here.) I see old photos of an entrepreneurial boy trying to earn quarters. Quarters were important pieces of silver to us kids because we could buy a long-neck … Continue reading Reminiscing, part 2

My Birthday

It’s my birthday today. I spent most of the day relaxing, then opened some gifts. Cake and ice cream are on the dinner’s dessert menu. I unearthed some old birthday posts from my past blogs no longer on the Internet, and decided to share a couple here. From February 10, 2019: “Birthdays and Life” Today’s … Continue reading My Birthday

Being a Self-Published Author

Not that I never tried to become a published author in the traditional sense, but I’m too impatient to wait for something I can do myself. After all, I self-published my first short story in book form when I was fourteen. Ten years later, I self-published my own comic book. By the time I was … Continue reading Being a Self-Published Author

Book Two

Ten years ago this month, I wrote I am testing the waters of self-publishing at Amazon right now so my family and friends can read my stories on their Kindle e-readers. I wish I could offer my books free, but Amazon doesn’t have that option. Soon after I published “Night of the Hellhounds” to Amazon’s … Continue reading Book Two

New Year, New Ideas, New Goals

I love writing fiction. It brings out my inner child. The story world of my books is a playground in my mind where my characters can run as fast as they can, jump far, fly if they need to, fall and skin their knees if they must, and end up heroes if I want them … Continue reading New Year, New Ideas, New Goals

Winter’s Coming

November brought some snow to my neck of the woods and the touches of winter put me in a writing mood. Many of my writer friends partook in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) during November, trying to write a 50,000-word first-draft novel by the end of the month. I, on the other hand, worked on … Continue reading Winter’s Coming

Being Funny Again

I began drawing comic strips when I was a boy. I loved to laugh, so my favorite movies and television shows were comedies, and my favorite books were joke books. MAD was my favorite magazine, and The Dr. Demento Show was my favorite radio program, so zany situations and play on words made their way … Continue reading Being Funny Again

A Bit on Writing and Art

With NaNoWriMo in full swing, I’ve been seeing a lot of fiction writers write about plot. I’m a short story writer, but I’ve been through plenty of classes for novelists that teach Aristotle’s 3-act structure of Beginning, Middle, and End, and the popular 4-act structure (which lengthens and halves the Middle section) for novels. I … Continue reading A Bit on Writing and Art