I’m going to do this next Writer’s Notebook exercise in two parts. This weekend, I’m just getting down some basic ideas, and over the coming week, I’ll develop these ideas into a draft and toss it up next Friday. What appears in the Notebook this week are notes from an exercise in Jamie Cat Callan‘sContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: The Writer’s Toolbox, Protagonist Game”
Tag Archives: writing exercises
A Writer’s Notebook: Bill Roorbach’s bad advice
Yes, I missed last week’s Notebook. Skipped, more like, but my wife was newly arrived from two months overseas, so I forgive myself and I trust you will too. Besides, this week (as I’d intended to do last week), I’m using an exercise from Bill Roorbach’s newly-minted “Bad Advice” series over at the blog heContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Bill Roorbach’s bad advice”
A Writer’s Notebook: Work details
There’s this story I’ve been aching to finish for a long, long time now, but the details just aren’t coming. Or, weren’t until this week. But thanks to Tom Franklin, things seem to be rolling again. More on that in a minute. First, some writing: Val dropped the ramps and unchained the big yellow WalkerContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Work details”
A Writer’s Notebook: Packing my bags at OBCBYL
And just like that, my tenure at Our Band Could Be Your Lit is coming to an end: this week, I’m writing my last story for this project. And it couldn’t come at a better time, because Ryan Werner has decided to start throwing simply idiotic songs at me. Seriously — his words: “For your lastContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Packing my bags at OBCBYL”
A Writer’s Notebook: Picking out the drapes at OBCBYL
So I’m winding up my run at Our Band Could Be Your Lit. I’m actually not sure if Ryan will be taking back the reins next week or the week after, so I might still be at this for another story or two. But I know I’m nearing the end. I’m sure Ryan Werner willContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Picking out the drapes at OBCBYL”
A Writer’s Notebook: Becoming a couch potato at OBCBYL
Actually, I’m that guy who drops by just to say hi, sticks around for a beer, points at the tv and says, “Oh, is this game on?” before flopping onto the couch, and then, some time around 11:30 at night when you’re yawning and changing into pyjamas and doing everything else you can think ofContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Becoming a couch potato at OBCBYL”
A Writer’s Notebook: Still sittin’ in at OBCBYL
This week I’m writing another story for Ryan Werner’s Our Band Could Be Your Lit project. It’s supposed to be up on Sunday, but I got the text in at the last minute last week so it took a couple of days to appear online. I’m hoping to be a bit ahead of the gameContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Still sittin’ in at OBCBYL”
A Writer’s Notebook: Sittin’ In at OBCBYL
As I did last October, I’m writing a story for Ryan Werner’s Our Band Could Be Your Lit project. This won’t be just this week, though. Ryan is busy compiling a story-collection manuscript (which I fully expect he’ll get published, though if his book appears in print before any of mine do, I might haveContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Sittin’ In at OBCBYL”
A Writer’s Notebook: an essay about Mom
My mother is retiring from 36 years of teaching, and to honor her, my sister, my brother, and I threw her a surprise party while I was down visiting during my PCA/ACA conference. My sister and my mom’s good friend Debbie, also a teacher, also organized a scrapbook for people to leave memories of myContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: an essay about Mom”
A Writer’s Notebook: News stories
Believe it or not, this is a true story. Sort of. I remember studying H. P. Lovecraft in college, though at the time we studied him as literature, not gospel. I was enchanted by his name, Lovecraft, as though it was a commandment: here is the craft of writing fiction, and you shall adore it.Continue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: News stories”
Samuel Snoek-Brown 