• The Bizniz - Writing

    It all becomes quite simple if you’re not trying to get rich and famous.

    Ever since I set about writing my first novel, I’ve been doing two things at the same time. First, I’ve been, you know… writing. Engaging in the creative process over a period of many months. Learning how to translate the pictures in my head into the written word. Improving my skills and practicing the time-honored craft of good storytelling. The other thing I’ve been up to is devoting time to figuring out how to publish my book when it’s finally finished. At one point someone suggested to me that perhaps it was best not to worry about my book being…

  • Writing

    Writing is Life, and Life is Writing

    Well, friends. It’s September. We’re on the downhill slope for 2024, which means I start looking forward to 2025 and pondering what kinds of goals I might want to accomplish next year. It usually takes a couple months of ‘back-burner’ thinking for me to come up with these goals, but right now, there’s one very bold, bright one at the top of my list: publishing my novel. I’ve spent the past year writing this thing, agonizing over it, wrestling with it, loathing it…and myself. I’ve received a ton of feedback from my writing partners, which I’ve dutifully tried to incorporate (even…

  • Writing

    Novel Update – August 2024

    Last summer, after surviving a mental health crisis and quitting a 20-year marketing career, I decided that the most reasonable course of action would be to write a novel. I’d never written one before (though I had made a couple minor attempts), and it had always been a goal. Since I was unemployed, I set about making writing my “job”. I worked for three months on one story before I decided I couldn’t keep going. It’s a great idea, and I may revisit it in the future, but it was too emotionally heavy for where I was at the time.…

  • Writing - Zen

    Escaping Creative Samsara

    If you’re familiar at all with Buddhism, you’ve no doubt encountered the concept of Samsara. Basically, it’s life, as we experience it, over endless cycles of rebirth. According to Buddhist teachings, we are trapped here, living in these ‘realms’ of existence until after many lifetimes of dedication and practice, we are able to reach Nirvana – true liberation. There are six realms within the cycle of Samsara, and they exist on a wheel, meaning that we don’t travel through them in a linear fashion toward a goal. Heaven and Hell are both part of Samsara and not attached to western…

  • The Bizniz

    What’s the Real Value Proposition for Writers Using Social Media?

    The idea that if you want to make an impact in any endeavor you must dedicate hours a day to using social media is, by now, axiomatic. This isn’t just true for writers and other creatives, of course. Practically every industry and sector of public life holds this narrative. If a bear approaches a woman in a forest and no one is there to tweet about it, did it even happen? There’s still a belief, despite copious evidence to the contrary, that social media is a meritocratic environment that allows ‘the best and brightest’ to naturally emerge; that those who…

  • Writing

    I have no idea what the hell I’m even doing… and it’s great

    I’m known for doing things that I have no business doing. This goes beyond ‘liking a challenge’ and actually borders on folly. Ergo, I’ve decided (at the age of 50) that it’s time to write my first novel. I always knew I was going to write novels… someday. Like many aspiring authors, I was obsessed with reading in my youth and I wrote often, though always privately, sharing with maybe one or two people. I didn’t have relationships with adults who taught me how to value my creativity and pursue it with discipline and rigor. If I’d been mentored early,…

  • Uncategorized

    new blog who dis?

    Today is the day I christen my new blog! I already have another blog under my real name where I write reviews and whatever nonsense is on my mind. This one, however, is dedicated to my budding career as a novelist, written under my nom de plume. If you’ve read the ‘About’ section of this website you’ll know that once upon a time I lived a tortured existence as a marketer and activist. Thankfully, that’s all behind me, now. These days, I’ve embraced the creative life. I’m writing my first novel, making a podcast, practicing zen, and maintaining healthy relationships…