Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, November 11, 2019, 9:51 a.m. Most mornings, I get up, put some coffee on, plug in the cell to recharge, take some medication, and retire to the facilities. Then I return, sit down and arm the laptop (okay, sign on), let the coffee cool a bit, and check the morning email …
Tag: story
At Least There Was No Big One
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, December 22, 2018, 2:10 p.m. If law enforcement used yellow flags, they would have been waving on Spartanburg Highway, Musgrove Street Extension, or South Carolina 56 North, depending on which way one wants to identify the thoroughfare. Two crashes, neither involving serious injuries, occurred within two hours of each other, about …
Anger Cuts Either Way
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, December 13, 2018, 10:44 a.m. I was on the way to the Laurens Commission of Public Works meeting and thought it was going to make me late. I am obsessively punctual and often fret about being late for meetings, so much so that invariably I wind up being there 20 minutes …
The Annual Clash of Emotions about Daddy
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, June 18, 2017, 10:15 a.m. In a way, Father’s Day is empty. I’m not one, though a niece, nephews, a great-niece, and great-nephews pretend I am. This I appreciate. In another, it makes me ever more mindful of how I remain affected by my father, who died in 1993. Over the …
Invent the Track if You Must
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, April 7, 2017, 9:45 a.m. A new novel’s out. It’s the one readers have been suggesting – hint, hint – I write for years. I’m hardheaded. I had to wait until it struck my fancy. It takes a story to write a novel, and it’s too damned hard to write one …
Not About the Inauguration
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, January 20, 2017, 11:47 a.m. The new president is about to take office. In a moment, I’m going to listen to what he has to say. I’m not going to write about politics. It has left me weary. I hope for the best. Instead, I’m going to write about something frivolous. …
The Way I Write the Things I Write
I have demonstrated my allegiance to fiction. At present, I am about seventy-five percent done with what will become my sixth novel. Three – Crazy of Natural Causes (2015), Forgive Us Our Trespasses (2016), and Cowboys Come Home (2016) -- have been published in the past two years. It appears likely that Don’t Ask, …
Same Old Me in a Different Direction
I have a clue where the next novel is headed. I can see the general direction. Out on the horizon lies a lovely sunset. I've just got to figure out how to get there. As the cowboy in the old Texas tune "I'm a Ro-Deo-Deo-Deo Cowboy (Bordering on the Insane)" expresses: Gimme a beer or …
An Unplanned Break from Civilization
In hindsight, losing my satellite TV reception wasn't such a bad thing. A storm hit last Thursday night, and while the damage wasn't severe, it did rip apart a cedar tree in the backyard. I'm not sure whether the tree will survive or not. She might just need to be taken out of her misery. …
Can’t Rush the Important Stuff
My goal today is to complete the first draft of what I intend to be my fifth novel, Cowboys Come Home. I'm expecting it to take two more drafts, perhaps only one, but I'm optimistic on such matters, and two is the likelihood. They won't take too long. The story isn't likely to require any …
Nightrider's Lament 