We’ve been doing some decluttering, and boy does the TV room need it. We collect a lot of stuff. But the one feature of that room that looks great is the shelf where we keep tiki mugs and other odd items from different nations. This is one spot where the clutter actually works. Why? Because the items are all congregated under this fantastic map of the Indiana Jones universe, created by artist Matt Busch…

The photo above depicts a writer, hiding from the world. The sort of writer who wants their literary agent to “take care of them.” To see to the business side of things so they, the writer, can “just write.” The sort of writer, in other words, who makes me want to frow up.

One of the small things an empowered writer can do to take back the night is to stop putting their agent’s name on their website. It makes sense if you’re a name writer, and it makes sense in certain other situations, but in general, a newbie or mid-list author would be better served keeping intel to themselves.

Here’s why…

Every year I put together a questionnaire that we send out to organizations that inquire about having one of us come speak. (My wife gets the majority of those requests.)

I’m planning a future article for writers on this very topic, and realized that it would be hand to make the questionnaire available.

Here’s how to get it…

The key to lasting success in this business is multiple income streams. One of those streams can be licensing for film adaptations.

The topic came up recently on one of the writer boards I subscribe to. Hearing short story writers talk about film adaptations and film money reminded me how much I’ve learned about the topic over the years, witnessing the licensing conversations about the work of Denise and my ghostwriting clients.

I dug through my files, did some research, and put together an article discussing this topic. If you’re a writer who has written even a single book or short story, you will want to read this…

Back in September, the weekend Hurricane Helene destroyed my town, I was off in Charleston at a book event where John Lennon’s lawyer was talking about his latest book.

It was a fascinating story, and since we’re both guys from the New York area who relocated late in life to the American South, we hit it off.

Jay Bergen later visited Asheville to do an event at the authors-in-conversation book chat my wife runs in our town. Jay was a hit, mostly because he’s a great raconteur and his book—about the intellectual property suit in which he defended John Lennon against a mobster—reveals him to be an equally fine writer.

I’m talking about his story today at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, which is right up our alley, seeing as…

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write a short Christmas story. I already have two Christmas-themed novels available, but they are not exactly short. Sorceress Kringle, my gender-swapped Santa fantasy, and its prequel, The Icemaster of New-York, clock in at 600-plus pages. Whereas Christmas time is the perfect time to indulge in something short. I wrote Preston the Provider a while back, but it has taken me this long to design the cover and interior, and have the book copy-edited. It is finally out in the world as of today. You can click on the above image to see the links where to buy it. Rest assured, you can get the ebook or paperback versions, whichever you prefer…

Anyone who works in an artistic profession battles demons. It doesn’t matter if you’re a writer, painter, dancer, actor, or whatever. Rejection comes with the territory.

If you hope to survive, you develop coping mechanisms for riding the ups and downs. They can be big commitments (an annual retreat, a weekly session with a therapist) or little ones (a daily meditation practice or walk in the woods to stay grounded).

One of the ones I use requires just a single piece of note card. Until recently, I thought I got the idea out of a book. It turns out, I came up with the idea myself. But the book is still worth reading if you’re a writer.

The book is called …

I have a couple of posts coming this year on the topic of speaking engagements. Every writer is asked to get in front of an audience from time to time.

The newbie author greets these opportunities with terror and consternation, while the experienced author greets them with terror and consternation. But neither should fret. It’s actually quite easy to stand in front of an audience and make a favorable impression. All you must do is this: Speak from the heart!

It sounds like a cliche, but it works. The more centered you are, the more you know your story cold, the better you will be able to deliver it…

I went looking for advice on work-balance for writers. Hoping to get inspired, I studied the lives of writers going back to the 1930s.

Well, I shouldn’t have. Their circumstances were so different from modern life that the secrets of their success probably would not work for writers today. But their stories are still inspirational.

That’s what I’m talking about today at SleuthSayers, in an article I’m calling…

When I dumped social media in 2022, I made a public announcement here on my blog and contact page, and did a post at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog I write for, about the books and other resources that pushed me to make that important change.

Ever since then, I’ve been meaning to report how that decision has impacted my life and work.

Since I’m focusing my first few articles of the year on productivity, I thought it was a good time to let the world know how it’s going. The freaking upshot is…