Have a Goal? Raise the Stakes
Do you have a goal that you have tried countless times to achieve? Or an addiction you have tried countless times to break? Maybe it is time to try again, but with a different approach. […]
About:mrtevebaugh
Posts by mrtevebaugh :
On Finding True Love
Once upon a time, some sage mentor told me a piece of advice that changed everything for me. This person will remain nameless, but primarily because I have forgotten who it was. It was a piece of wisdom I sorely needed, and still heed to this day. So if any of you are looking for […]
Killing Your Darlings or Saving Your Favorites
I’ve read the phrase ‘killing your darlings’ quite a bit lately. For writing, it basically means you often have to get rid of your favorite things to make something work. The thing is, the phrase itself doesn’t really work for me. The word ‘darling’ feels a little archaic. And I don’t really feel like I […]
The Leper
Ruth balanced the water jug on the top of her head to start the long walk back home. People bustled through the streets of Jerusalem, some off to market pushing against those on their way up the hill to the temple. She expertly stepped to the side as a laden donkey lumbered up the tiny street. Not a single drop of water fell upon her head as she sidestepped and she smiled. […]
Waylaid On Novel Mountain
I am nearing 30,000 words on my novel draft. Slowly getting there. But for the last week or so, I have been climbing a different hill. I have been reading a lot of material on how to improve my writing. One of the websites I found in my wanderings is called The Write Practice. On […]
How to Avoid Writing
Do you have a writing project that you want to avoid? Well the best way to avoid your current project is to work on things that you can rationalize to yourself as contributing to your writing long-term. […]
Side Effects of Not Snoozing
I have only snoozed a couple of times since I started my no snoozing habit. But I have discovered a few oddities about the habit I created that have forced me to solve some interesting problems. […]
Stuck in the Swampy Middle
I feel stuck today. I just finished the beginning hook of my novel, so I am about 25% through. In true form of starting the middle of a book, I immediately feel like I am slogging through a swamp. Jim Butcher calls it the Swampy Middle. […]
Climbing Novel Mountain – Day 7
Yesterday was the first major uphill climb in my trek up novel mountain. Ran into a scene in my outline that was just crazy hard to write. I figured out the scene was […]
Climbing Novel Mountain – Day 1
I stand at the metaphorical trail head of novel mountain. I have done all the prep. I have all my gear. But I look up at the peak of the mountain and a string of curses runs through my mind. This mountain is too ambitious. I probably can’t make it to the top. I probably […]