Category: Independent Publishing

• Hulk SMASH deadline!

  I was in full-on magazine writer mode today. Cranked out 1,300 quality words for a freelance story with the able assistance of my neighborhood Cosi, their free wi-fi, and the…

• Another Satellite Office

  Summer weather is here and with it the joys of answering work e-mails poolside. Sometimes freelancing can ironically leave you feeling trapped at home, and sometimes it really frees you.…

• A Barbecue-Basted Lesson in Creating Honest Characters

  What you see here is a bottle of barbecue sauce. With it I will give you some tips on writing compelling and honest characters. Why barbecue sauce, and why specifically…

• Jak Smyrl and the Joy of the Picasso Napkin

  There’s an old story about a woman who approached Pablo Picasso in a cafe and asked him to draw her something on a napkin. However, before he would give it…

• Meme-ography

• And Speaking of Lego Stop-Motion …

  I wrote the other day about how the work of the late Ray Harryhausen inspired me to make my own little Super 8 stop motion films with Legos. I have…

• Thanks to Uncle Ray

  Those of us who are artists have lots of aunts and uncles to thank for what we do. I tend to claim anyone who’s had a measurable effect on my…

• The Art of the Interview

  Back when I worked full-time in newspapers, I was occasionally called upon to do what were referred to as “brown baggers” – mini seminars that could take place over a…

• Waiting for Superman

  For all the good in my life every day, the last week has been challenging. “Too many difficult conversations,” I told my wife last night. “I think I’m done with difficult…

• God Bless Allyson Bird, For She Speaks the Truth

  A few weeks ago I wrote about why going into journalism is a great career choice for people who want to write for a living but aren’t sure how to…