Category: Life

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Fiction Is Nothing But Entertainment

Here I am, the world’s most reclusive introvert. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating. Just a little. Be that as it may – I’ve definitely never thought of myself as an entertainer. But apparently that’s what we writers of fiction are. Someone said to me once that reading novels is nothing but entertainment. It has no real, tangible value, because you don’t learn anything. It’s nothing but an escape from your everyday, humdrum life. And, yes, the person was right – in a very limited way. Fiction is entertainment, undoubtedly. It’s an escape, too. Mere entertainment, mere escape, though? Not by a Read More …

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Relationships, and Keeping Score

I’m just coming off of one of those post-Holiday conversations where one family member rants about another family member: “He never calls.” Voice heavy with reproach. Disappointment. Anger. “Why should it always be me who initiates contact? I’m not going to call again. If he wants to talk to me, let him call for a change.” And if he doesn’t call, either the relationship withers and dies, or the person who’s complaining reaches for the phone after all, full of resentment, and what could have been a perfectly good conversation, sours. It doesn’t have to be that way if you Read More …

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Reading Recap for 2021

Ever since I made the resolution to read less, my book count hasn’t been the same. It’s gone up. Well, not quite true. I did read fewer books in 2021 than I did in 2020 (but still a lot more than in 2019, the first year I tracked the numbers). So. In 2021 I read a grand total of 70 books cover-to-cover. I finished 32 non-fiction books and abandoned another five. On the fiction side, I read 38 and abandoned two books. Most of the fiction I read was Fantasy, with a few mysteries and thrillers sprinkled in. Some of Read More …

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Labor Day

The history of Labor Day is no doubt interesting and well worth reading up on. Honestly, though, it’s not the first thing that comes to my mind on this particular day. I’ve always liked this day as a bridge between the ease of summer and a season of harder, more focused work. A day of reflection and renewal, and a day of re-commitment to my goals and values. “Labor” is a word with many connotations. On the downside, it carries a whiff of the unwanted, like “chore”, just harder. The proverbial salt mines come to mind. And, yes, writing can Read More …

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Better Living through Characters

I’ve been immersed in my story world for such a long time now that in some ways it feels more real than the real world. The characters, though, aren’t old friends. Well, some of them are. Others, though, are a part of me. Or, rather, parts of them are parts of me. Some of their traits and attitudes and idiosyncrasies are lifted from my own experience. And this is where it gets interesting: At the intersection of fiction and life. Your own gut reaction to any situation you put your characters in tells a story about your own… well… character, Read More …