I wanna be Bob DylanMr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funkyWhen everybody loves youThat's just about as funky as you can be. Ah, yes. The timeless lyrics from Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones," in which Adam Duritz pines for the career and accolades of Bob Dylan while "down at the New Amsterdam." … Continue reading Don’t Be Bob Dylan
Tag: Writing
Building Devil’s Tower
Some days you eat the bear. Some days, the bear eats you. I'd love to know the originator of that one, wouldn't you? I'm hoping there's some great story at the root of it. Like back in some cave, Og is squatting around a fire and his buddy Oog comes shuffling back through the … Continue reading Building Devil’s Tower
Daring Greatly, Part Two: Waking Up on Mars
Note: In the days leading up to the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for my middle grade frontier adventure novel The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson on Tuesday, April 17, I'm sharing my story of how I ended up here. You can read the introductory post here, and Part One, "Into the Mist" here. Find out … Continue reading Daring Greatly, Part Two: Waking Up on Mars
Daring Greatly, Part One: Into the Mist
Note: In the days leading up to the Kickstarter campaign for my middle grade frontier adventure novel The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson, I'm sharing my story of how I ended up here. You can read yesterday's introductory post here, and find out more about the Kickstarter campaign here. I’m not sure when the story really begins, … Continue reading Daring Greatly, Part One: Into the Mist
Driving East
I’ve been fortunate the past ten years or so since I started teaching in Bloomfield, New York, my morning commute takes me essentially due east. So, for the first few months of the year and the last few months – those which bookend all those jet-black, western New York mornings after daylight savings time – I’m … Continue reading Driving East
Darts Into the Darkness
Up here in the frozen North, winter takes its toll on even the hardiest souls. And here, in the middle of January, a week or so beyond Christmastide, it's taking its toll on this hardy soul. As much as I pay lip service to loving winter - the crust of snow over the backyard, the frosty … Continue reading Darts Into the Darkness
Thanks, Ray. Bradbury, Barsoom, and Inspirational Genealogy
There's a fantastic article entitled "Take Me Home" from the New Yorker dated Monday, June 4, which is likely the last piece Ray Bradbury ever wrote. Bradbury fits my definition of Giant, which to me is someone with so many massive achievements that any one would be enough for someone to be satisfied with. Taken … Continue reading Thanks, Ray. Bradbury, Barsoom, and Inspirational Genealogy
The Road is Long
"While the road to Final Draftland is long and not clearly marked by yellow bricks and Munchkins, revisiting a draft after many moons has some advantages."
What I Wrote
I’m fascinated by the process of writing prompts, how there are things lurking inside us, just below the surface, that we have no knowledge of until we are prompted. Sometimes, it's a character, sometimes, an emotion or an experience we had forgotten (or, perhaps repressed). And at the bidding of a writing coach, or a … Continue reading What I Wrote