Tag: writing process
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Line Work
Drafting a novel is the fun part — the characters talk, you listen, the story shows up. Then the characters go quiet, and the real work starts. New post on line editing Restitution, and why it’s a lot like running an ultra.
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Getting Out of My Way
A short confession on revision: cutting 16,000 words from a novel taught me more about ego than craft. New post on the discipline of getting out of your own way as a writer.
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Running Backward Up the Hill
I finished my first draft in six weeks. 113,000 words, running downhill the whole way. Now I have to cut 18,000 of them — and they all feel necessary.
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Fourth Move
A CFO sits down to dinner alone, weighs his options, and picks the one that lets him sleep. Chess with real stakes. Meet Roger, in Fourth Move.
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Fighting for My Writing at Midnight
The coffee shop clock blinks an angry red glow—11:47 PM. My freelance article sits unfinished, due in eight hours. My finger hovers over the ChatGPT app. Three taps and I’m done. But fifteen years ago, a college professor taught me why shortcuts always backfire.