Update on worlds colliding

I wrote last week about reading the first twenty pages of a graphic novel called Undiscovered Country that had a crazy amount of the same content as the thrust of my recently finished novel first draft. To the point where, if it continued, it would potentially mean drastically or entirely changing my novel before being … Read more

When worlds collide

Well, crap. I mentioned at the top of the year that I had finished the first draft of my first novel. Cut to yesterday, when I started reading a graphic novel I’d grabbed at random during a recent visit to the library and it’s… well… it’s really, weirdly, painfully close to being the same story … Read more

How much is enough?

As of this weekend, I’ve broken 200 pages on my project of humourous stories and observations. That is, to be clear, 200 pages as they’d appear in a book, not 200 pages of solid prose writing. That’s crazy talk. This leads me to wonder when I should call it done as far as length goes. … Read more

What’s enough to make me stop reading a book?

I’ve mentioned before that there are various things that will bump me from enjoyment of a book. Sometimes it’s plain bad writing. The advent of self-publishing has been a boon for anyone who has ever thought they want to write a book, because now they can produce one from their laptops and it will instantly … Read more

Interactive story first draft: Done!

For anyone who doesn’t get my newsletter… I mean, first off, why not? Geez… but secondly and more to the point, I’m looking for work, and one of the opportunities that came up was a scriptwriter for an upcoming Star Wars game from powerhouse game developer Ubisoft. One of the suggested items to have in … Read more

The hunt for improved note-taking

As a writer, I procrastinate. I mean… I procrastinate on a lot of stuff in my life, but that definitely includes delaying settling down to finally write. Which is of course counterproductive and illogical, given I genuinely enjoy writing. But I guess there’s something hardwired in. Behold the writer in his native environment. With time … Read more

Read this book

I heard Simon Rich interviewed on a podcast recently and they discussed this book, Rich’s most recent. It sounded right up my alley, so I immediately put it on hold at the library and finally got my hands on it. I don’t know that I’ve ever laughed so hard from reading. New Teeth is a … Read more

First draft of first novel: Fait accompli

I just finished it. I was hoping to have it wrapped before New Year’s Eve–new year, new project-kinda thing–but what with the usual Christmas busyness around the house plus a Covid scare requiring added family isolation time and hours spent online trying in vain to get a quality test booked before finally scoring one, plus … Read more

The streak is dead. Long live the streak.

As I picked up my ebook again this morning, I realized that I was continuing to read from right where I’d left off… two days ago. I cast my mind back to yesterday to recall if I had read farther than I recalled, or maybe read some of the other book I’m reading–now’s one of … Read more