The blank page—it’s a writer’s greatest curse and blessing. So let’s get the bad news out first. Make no mistake; a blank page is terrifying. “What if I have no ideas?” “This blog isn’t going to write itself.” But we still do it, write, that is. Someone said writers can’t “not write.” Why? Maybe, it’s […]
I see aspen trees as a fitting symbol for the retirement years. Last week, I asked the book cover guy if he could include them in his design. Why aspen? 1. On my favorite hikes, one finds aspen high on the mountain. Reach them, and the peaks (read “dreams we have spent a lifetime chasing”) […]
I want to be sappy. No, not that way. Psalm 92:14 says those who walk with God can “still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green.” That’s the New American Standard version. The Message translation says “They’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile […]
I’m going fly fishing next week. My friend Jerry is taking me to his favorite stream in Colorado. I don’t have time for this. There are deadlines for the book, one of our rentals is empty and I have a construction project that is behind schedule. But I’m going anyway. Because, ever since I was […]
“If I could save time in a bottle,” sang singer-song-writer Jim Croce in his 1972 hit single. The opening line was both insightful and a bit haunting. Insightful because it posed a dilemma we all face. We can hoard money but not time (not in a bottle or a bank). Use it now or it’s […]
You can copyright books but not book titles. So, theoretically, I could title my book To Kill a Mockingbird, or Gone with the Wind. And I would get exactly 0 readers. But titles do make a difference. Research shows that good ones get a second look. A reader might peer at the promotional copy on […]