Ah, the first of September.
9/1/09 -- Ah, the first of September. For those of you not already back at school, it won't be long! Here in Corvallis, Oregon classes begin on the Wednesday after Labor Day, September 9th. Back east in South Carolina, my brother-in-law, Robert, h...
You know that fine feeling at
8/28/09 -- You know that fine feeling at the end of the week when you've accomplished a lot and can revel in satisfaction at your productivity? Yeah, me neither. Just kidding. Although it did take me several false starts to get going most days, I ...
Normally I write standing up.
8/26/09 -- Normally I write standing up. (Keeps me awake, in addition to -- oddly -- being less tiresome.) Today, however, I had the urge to sit down all afternoon, and so did just that. (One of the nice things about being self employed; I can sit...
Home again, home again,
8/24/09 -- Home again, home again, jiggity jig. Feels good to be back at my desk. (Well, once I found it under the piles of mail, and notes, and lists of things to do.) But now all is cleared and I'm ready to roll full tilt on REVENGE OF THE MUTAN...
After a fun drive across
8/17/09 -- After a fun drive across Eastern Oregon, we spent three days in Yellowstone National Park, which included a close encounter with bison, a hike along the rim of the spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and of course Old Faithful....
Back home in Oregon, enjoying
8/5/09 -- Back home in Oregon, enjoying the familiarity of my office and desk. At least for a little while. We leave again on Saturday, August 8, this time for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (More on that later.) In the mean...
Lounging on the front porch
7/30/09 -- Lounging on the front porch with family and friends in KY. Many great stories told, and with that special Southern flair. I had my notebook out many times, and even got a bit of video with priceless antics. Which will no doubt show up i...
Our family reunion at Folly
7/27/09 -- Our family reunion at Folly Beach, South Carolina is over. A good time was had by all, despite a few jelly fish stings and a virus that crept up on 3 of the 16 in attendance. Writing time was difficult to carve out on some days. At best...
After a wonderful week
7/22/09 -- After a wonderful week teaching at the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writer's Workshop (see link in 7/10 entry below), I'm now on the opposite coast in Folly Beach, South Carolina at a Birdseye reunion. Lots of great time with family, in...
I'm headed off tomorrow
7/10/09 -- I'm headed off tomorrow to teach at a weeklong shindig in Oceanside, OR called the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writer's Workshop. It's organized by author David Greenberg, who in addition to being a great guy and a great writer, is als...
Working hard today to get as
7/3/09 -- Working hard today to get as much done as possible on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. This in preparation for taking the weekend off for July 4 festivities, which include a canoe trip on the Willamette River with family and friends, fol...
A good day of writing. And a
6/30/09 -- A good day of writing. And a revealing one, as well. With the complicated plot of REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR I'm finding it more efficient to work from the inside out. By that I mean writing each small subplot-within-a-subplot firs...
Went to the Cascades
6/28/09 -- Went to the Cascades over the weekend, this time with family, which was fantastic. We climbed the gentle side of Mt Hood up to the 9,300 foot level and the base of Illumination Rock, where we were treated to a great view of the rugged w...
Wrote out on the deck
6/26/09 -- Wrote out on the deck for a bit today, and was reminded of how important my connection to the natural world is. I believe it's important for everyone, whether they know it or not, but especially kids. Summer is the easiest time to get o...
Took a day off yesterday to
6/25/09 -- Took a day off yesterday to climb Mt. St. Helens and ski from its summit. No crevasse falls or whiteouts, like in STORM MOUNTAIN, thank goodness. Still, the main characters, Cat and Ty, did cross my mind many times during the day. Going...
A belated Happy Father's Day
6/22/09 -- A belated Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. I got to spend the afternoon with my oldest daughter, Kelsey, her boyfriend Tyler, and my wife, Debbie, hiking at Silver Falls State Park (see photo of Kelsey and me below). Today ...
I'm now focusing on
6/16/09 -- I'm now focusing on individual subplots for REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. Currently, it's what I call "The Pet Issue." Cody's younger sister, Mollie (also known as Mollie the Creature, or MC for short) really wants "something more th...
Keeping the ball rolling
6/13/09 -- In order to keep the narrative ball of REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR rolling, I'm writing full days during the week, and at least an hour or so on Saturday and Sunday. So far so good. Still, there are moments when the volume of things...
As part of writing a sequel
6/8/09 -- As part of writing a sequel -- REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR -- I'm going back and reading the original -- ATTACK OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR -- and taking lots of notes. Several times today, though, I actually found myself laughing out lo...
I got completely out of
6/05/09 -- I got completely out of author-as-traveling-speaker mode today and back into the mind set of a writer-at-work. As much as I love visiting schools and talking to kids about the writing process, it feels really great to have a stretch of ...