What sparks a story for you? A scene in a movie? The lyrics to a song? A person or event you saw on the street? A newspaper article? An old photograph? The inspiration for my novel began as a vivid dream that I had a whole lotta years ago. The idea sat dormant until recent … Continue reading Kickstarting Your Imagination
Summer Vacation, Part II
Last week, I promised pictures of the Vedauwoo formations. I failed. Instead, we went on ATV rides around the Pole Mountain area of the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. (C) 2019, JJ ShaunOur campsite We had an impressive camp spot with a gorgeous view. (C) 2019, JJ ShaunView from camp Our friend, “DJ LaLa,” … Continue reading Summer Vacation, Part II
Summer Vacation, Part I
I just got back from the first half of vacation. Why should that interest you, you ask? Well, I travel to some exciting places and meet some interesting people. For example, I spend the last several days riding my motorcycle around the Black Hill of South Dakota—well, me, three of my friends, and about 150,000 … Continue reading Summer Vacation, Part I
The Tools We Use, Part III
In the last few days, I've seen a few queries about what tools we writers use to create our “Great American Novels.” As with most choices, it really depends on the writer. Some writers pen out their entire story by hand, then transcribe it to the computer later. Others are lost without a keyboard of … Continue reading The Tools We Use, Part III
Learning from Those Who Came Before
So, I spent the morning researching a creature for my D&D campaign, and during that research, I found a reference to a Germanic “house pet” of myth (think Dobby). I so wanted to ask my mom about her experiences growing up with the Northern German legend, but I can’t. My mom passed four and a … Continue reading Learning from Those Who Came Before
Beating Writer’s Block
“Help! I have Writer’s Block! Woe is me! What do I do?” Staring at a blank page.(C) 2019, JJ Shaun I’ve seen this written out on the interwebs a lot in the past few weeks. So, what do you do when you have Writer’s Block? When I have a determined block—well, aside from procrastination, which … Continue reading Beating Writer’s Block
Nurturing Your Creativity
As children, we tell all kinds of stories. We talk to our imaginary friends, and they answer us. We take our friends on all sorts of adventures. But as we get older, we are inevitably yanked back to the "real" world by our family, friends, peers, teachers, bosses. Over time, if you don't use a … Continue reading Nurturing Your Creativity
Finding the Time
Summertime is my time of year. The air is warm, the sun is out later, and the landscape has exploded with foliage. When the Spring rains have finished greening up the scenery, I’m ready to crawl out of my den. This is the season when I find it the most difficult to make the time … Continue reading Finding the Time
A Tribute to My Dad
First, I want to say Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. Being a Dad isn’t easy. I’ve watched family members struggle with what it means to be a Dad in the twenty-first century. My advice to the young men in my family who are about to be fathers for the first time … Continue reading A Tribute to My Dad
The Tools We Use: Part II
I’ve been using Scrivener for the last month or so, looking for a way to better organize my larger projects. Part of the reason I’ve had to take this step is that I’ve promised the backstory of one of my characters to my Game Master. I had an idea some time ago about a sort … Continue reading The Tools We Use: Part II
