Dante and Luigi Have you ever been reading the book and you wondered why a particular character was in there? One of the most important things in writing is to make sure that each character has a purpose. You can’t just put characters in to fill space; they have to have a reason for being […]
Substance Abuse Addiction and substance abuse affect almost every family in the country. If you don’t have someone in your family afflicted, or a relative, chances are you know someone. Growing up I didn’t realize this. Back then it was the kind of thing that was kept hidden. That uncle who was so hilarious was […]
How to Get Your Time Back Writers often struggle with time management, unsure how to manage the delicate balance between work, writing, social media, and family—so many things to do. And when there are so many things to do, there is something on the list that you really hate. But it’s not just writers who battle […]
Lies, and How To Use Them One of the Ten Commandments is “thou shalt not lie,” but I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Imagine me, or any guy, telling their wife— “Honey, you look terrible in that dress.” Not only will a comment like that cost you a smack in the face, it […]
Life is Full of Surprises My mother wasn’t the smartest person in the world. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t stupid, she wasn’t even “not intelligent,” but she would never wow anyone with her fierce intelligence. She wasn’t the funniest person either. She had a sense of humor, but in our family her humor always […]
Sometimes You Have to Lie to Make Your Writing Believable My first book was published in April, and in late May I got emails from a few readers. Two of them said how much they loved the book, but they found it difficult to believe that six-year-old kids would have been smoking. Everything else they […]
Early memories The other day I thought of a fond memory from back when I was ten years old. I was helping my Aunt Rose tend to her rose garden, and we were chatting about a lot of things, then, out of the blue, she said, “Life is like a rosebush, Jibbo.” (She always called […]
Breaking the Rules of Writing I learn a lot from my animals, and they learn from me. My animals are trained well. They listen. They sit up straight and pay attention to every word I speak. And then they do whatever the hell they want. Last week, despite my strong advice not to, my wife […]
