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What Happens When You See Your Story Differently?
Sometimes, the ending of a story changes. I finished my latest novel today. And no, writing “The End” on a story—and I literally do that—never gets old. This story had its spark in 2019. I piddled with it off and on until New Year’s Day 2025 when I decided this book would be the book I finish this year. I intended to finish it by 1 April. That didn’t happen. But I’m really glad it took me this long because I never would have reached the ending I wrote. Am I Really Changing the Ending? As I walked the dogs on Thursday evening, I was pondering how and what to…
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How to Talk About The Life of Chuck Without Spoilers?
I work in marketing. Glad I wasn’t on the marketing team for The Life of Chuck. I mean how do you market a film arguably best viewed knowing nothing going in? A week or so ago, Mark Hamill, who stars in the movie, was on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They chatted up his role in the film, but then Hamill did the thing that must have frustrated the marketing team. He encouraged movie goers not to watch the trailer. Don’t read reviews. Just go in cold and experience the movie. That’s what my wife and I did on opening night. All I really knew about the movie was…
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Harlan Coben’s Back Spin is as Good as a Hole in One
Somehow, I fell into a Harlan Coben trough. It’s not really a rabbit hole, but when I finished Back Spin on Thursday and noted it on my “Books Read” list, I noticed something. Of the 11 books I’ve read this year, three have been by Coben. And of those, two feature Myron Bolitar, sports agent and righter of wrongs. In Back Spin (1997) is the fourth book in the series. I hadn’t planned on reading it immediately after I finished Coben’s latest, Nobody’s Fool, but a co-worker with whom I converse about books is, via audiobook, rapidly catching up to me. Easy for him considering his commute one way is…
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Sometimes a Story Sprint is Exactly What You Need
Sometimes you just have to sprint. I’ve been writing a novel for the entire year. Restarted on New Year’s Day with an end date on 1 July. We all know novel writing is a marathon, an endurance test of stamina and devotion. But last weekend, a fun thing happened. I was inspired to write a short story. A week ago yesterday, at work, I encountered a gentleman who works for my company. I’d heard about him, how his mind works, and how interacts with my fellow employees. In some ways, he’s on a different level altogether. In the course of my introduction, he dropped a quote about how he views…
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What Makes a Thriller? Harlan Coben Provides One Answer in Nobody’s Fool
I’m relatively late in reading anything by Harlan Coben, having read the first Myron Bolitar novel just last fall. I’ve since read three Bolitar books but never a standalone entry in Coben’s 37-novel career. When Nobody’s Fool was published, I checked out the audiobook from the library and settled into what is billed as a thriller. What Does “Thriller” Mean To You? “A stunningly twisty thriller” are the opening words to the book description so my mind conjured up an idea of what that meant. “Stunningly twisty” told me that I was going to get what Coben is famous for: a story that turned on itself, subverting expectations while truths…
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The Great Summer Writing Season
Here in the United States, summer officially begins this weekend. It ends 98 days later on Labor Day, 1 September. I know it is a great time to travel, watch summer blockbuster movies–Superman! Fantastic Four. Superman. Mission Impossible (it’s AWEsome!). Jurassic World. Did I mention Superman?–catch up on some TV, sit on the patio or beach or dock and sip something cold, and just enjoy the summer vibe. But it can also be used to write. Think of it: perfect bookends. There is a beginning and an end. There are 98 days of summer. If you were to write up to 1,000 words per day, you’d have a novel. Okay,…
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How Does Fandom Change as We Grow Older?
Being a fan of something is different when you’re younger. A fellow Gen-Xer and I have discussion about fandom: what it was like as a kid or a young adult and what it’s like as we continue to get older. Recently he sent me a text and I’ve been reflecting on it. I think my new take is that something has to touch my life in reality for my mind to naturally lock onto it the way it did before. For example, a TV show doesn’t actually touch my life. I’m not part of the creation of it, distribution, marketing, etc. My role is the very last step, and it’s…
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Daredevil Born Again and Why You Don’t Always Have to Start from the Beginning
A few years ago, I was shopping at Kroger when my eyes landed on the cover of a book. It was The Race by Clive Cussler. Here’s the cover. I was immediately captivated. Old-fashioned planes! Cussler’s name! And was that trailing plane firing weapons at the leading plane? I picked up the novel and read the description and discovered the Isaac Bell series. The Race was the fourth one and I made the decision to start from book one and make my way forward from the beginning. With all of my other reading, it took me months to get to The Race but I read, listened to, and enjoyed every…
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Can We Talk About “The Residence” and the Viewing Experience?
Just over three weeks ago, Netflix dropped the eight-episode series “The Residence” (not “The Resident” so don’t let your phone autocorrect). It’s a funny, quirky, delightful, highly entertaining whodunnit set in the White House during a state dinner when the head usher is found murdered. And the show wears its influences on its sleeve. Each of the episodes is titled after an older story/book/movie. The characters even namedrop famous detectives. And, of course, the story centers on a unique detective. Cordelia Cupp, played by Uzo Aduba, is brought in by the Metropolitan police to solve the case. She’s a birder and brings her patient, no-BS style of investigation to the…
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Do You Read the Book Before or After the Movie/TV Show?
Season 3 of “Reacher” is out and I’m loving it! But a friend and fellow writer considers it “downright awful.” What? Are we watching the same show? To be fair, my fellow writer has read all the Lee Child novels. I’ve read none of them. For me, Reacher is a TV show starring Alan Ritchson. It had me at the opening segment of the first episode when Reacher did the Sherlock Holmes thing and observed and made correct deductions. I blew through seasons one and two and am eagerly waiting each week as new episodes of season three roll out. So I’m coming at the show from a different point…