I sometimes shake my head at how badly I fumble even the basics of writing. There’s old writing advice that goes, essentially, that you should let the story be what it is. Meaning that whatever the story wants to be, let it be that. Don’t try to force it to be something other than what…
We found out a new thing recently. I kind of spoiled it in the header (and also that photo), but just act like you don’t know anyway for the big reveal: Squirrels like cookies. Or at least, oatmeal raisin cookies. I picked some up this weekend and added it to the coffee table Jackie had…
I am perhaps dating myself when I admit that we have a land line phone in our house. It was initially a safety net, because Jackie and I were with a lacklustre cell phone service–I won’t say the company name for not wanting to ruffle any legal feathers, but let’s just say it rhymes with…
My wife and I saw Spider-Man: Far From Home yesterday. It was good (although for this movie-goer’s money, not as good as Spider-Man: Homecoming), but the problem I had with it wasn’t so much the movie as the theatre itself. Jackie can’t watch 3D movies. They play with her head too much. So I’ve long…
I hate movie talkers. Sorry if you are one. I mean, I may not even know you, so it’s probably rude to say I hate you right out of the gate like that. But if you talk during movies? You’re definitely working your way toward the Hate You column. And in fairness, that’s on you….
I’ve found that there are things that I liked doing as a kid that, for whatever reason, I totally forgot about ever enjoying and then rediscovered them accidentally decades later. Flying kites is one of those things. Some years back, my family and I were at one of our many nearby parks that border Lake…
Five or six years ago, my back went out. I’d had occasional issues with it in the past, where it would be sore, or tweak a bit and I’d maybe need to pop a couple of Advil and an ice pack or heating pack and take it easy for a while. The soreness may sometimes…
I don’t generally like non-fiction. I’ve just always preferred the worlds that fiction can take me to over (what I’ve read of) what non-fiction does for me. I’ve recently had a couple of notable exceptions to that, however. The Library Book by Susan Orlean is one of them. At its core, it tells the story…
As I previously mentioned I may try, I’m foregoing playing games on my phone this month in favour of trying to get more productive feats accomplished. I’m currently just over a week into it. My thoughts, in no particular order: It was initially easier than I thoughtMy usual daily game, Marvel PuzzleQuest, is one which…
I’d say I’m a pretty creative guy, and with a constant head full of ideas for stories (and characters and settings and games and…), I’d also say I’ve benefited from it. So many of the “What if…?” scenarios that have struck me have paid off in stories (etc.) I’m proud of. The flipside of having…