We’re ten days in to NaNoWriMo 2017 and the words are, well, they’re coming (I guess). I’m just under 17,000 words which is technically on par the the date, but let’s be real here…I’m not writing every day, and the days I do write I can struggle to reach 1,000 words. BUT I CAN DO THIS! This is my sixth year doing NaNoWriMo, and I’ve reached 50K words every time. Given, I’ve had a lot…
The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival held in Utah is now something of a tradition for me. I’ve been going for four or five years now (can’t remember when I actually started attending…), and it seems like every year gets better and better. I took a half day from work on Friday to see the Friday afternoon tellers, and went all day Saturday as well as Saturday night. Storytellers such as Donald Davis, Bil Lepp, and Carmon…
Comedy plays a huge role in our lives. I mean, think about it…there are massively popular late-night TV shows based around making fun of current world events and situations. What’s so funny about the president of the United States (besides his orange completion and Pidgeotto hairstyle)? Why do we get a good laugh over Mr. Kim of North Korea when he’s launching missiles and threatening the USA? From a certain point of view, these…
After finishing the first draft of Beneath the Haze in December and taking a decent break between that draft and draft number two, I am pleased to announce that as of last night, draft two is officially done! So what does that mean? Basically, I’m going to take another break from editing Beneath the Haze, but I’m not going to completely forget about it. At this point, I’m going to read it through with my wife (who…
Writing is a huge part of who I am. I’ve been doing it since I was a wee lad, and continued through high school, college, and grad school. Now, I still get to write, as far as time allows. This summer has been all kinds of crazy, with three family reunions to attend, family staying with us for weeks at a time, and other time-consuming activities that are fun, even though they don’t involve writing.…
Let me tell you the tale of how my 2-year-old ended up at the urgent care with a new hole in his face. So there we were, two Sundays ago, sitting around a living room and talking and laughing and having a good time. Our toddler doesn’t stop moving for anything, so him running around the living room wasn’t anything abnormal. But, as most toddlers do, he tripped, and his forehead found the corner of…
This is the tale of how I, along with my wife and two small children, almost didn’t make it to our family reunion in Canada. The Adventure Begins Getting up at 4:00 in the morning has never been appealing to me, and even less so when I have a 13 hour drive on my hands. But, as is the way of long-distance travel, we got up early and left the house by 5:00 a.m…
Welp, it’s certainly been a while since I last updated my blog here. Here’s what’s been going on: Beneath the Haze I am currently halfway through the first round of edits on my novel, Beneath the Haze. This stage of edits focuses on plot holes and inconsistencies. I’ll most likely be adding half a dozen (or more) new chapters into the work in order to fill said plot holes and make everything flow better.…
As you may have guessed, I’m mildly obsessed with board games. It’s my preferred past time with my wife. But, just like any hobby, there’s a reason for the obsession. With me and board games, one of the reasons I love them so much is because they make my mind work to solve problems in new, engaging ways. But I think the biggest reason I love them so much is because of the stories they…
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Life, the Universe, and Everything. LTUE is a writing conference that focuses on science fiction and fantasy. This was my first writing conference, so I was naturally giddy with anticipation. It did not disappoint. I only attended Saturday (because work), but I made the best of it. Aside from spending one hour playing board games at the game room, I was in classes all day. Expert…