To be clear

If I'm blogging, I'm not writing my next novel. So when you come here and see a ton of new posts, you should say "Oh, the poor guy. He's still not writing."

And when you come here and find nothing new, you should say "Hooray! Keith's writing again. I'm so happy for him!"

I just wanted to sort that out for you. Carry on.

What are you reading?

I have a confession to make. I no longer read fiction. (Gasps issue from the peanut gallery.) You may think this an odd statement for a fiction writer to make, and I suppose it is. I'd still love to read great fiction but I'm not willing to wade through a hundred or so books to find it. As you get older, you realize your time is valuable.

(I also find that without intending to, I absorb each fiction writer's techniques through osmosis -- and the next time I sit down to write, this influences me. I don't want to be influenced by anyone at this point in my writing life. It has to come from my head and nowhere else. Those are the rules.)

These days, I read only science or philosophy books. I've always been wildly interested in a double-headed question: what is reality; and what, if anything, does it mean? Science and philosophy try to answer these questions.

This is why I'm thrilled with the book I'm currently reading. It's "God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion" by Victor Stenger. (Link leads to Kindle version; much cheaper.) This is a winner for me since it combines both of my interests: science and philosophy. I've read Stenger before. He's a physicist and an outspoken atheist. And while he may not be the best writer in the world, Stenger is clear and always on point. And he gets out a zinger or two, now and then. I find him a joy to read.

So. What are you reading?

Time to get moving

The election's over. Baseball's over. My book is published. It's time to step into the future. But there are two things standing in my way.

The first is that I'm waiting for my next manic period. Longtime readers of this blog know I'm manic-depressive. I call it manic-tired because I never experience depression; I just feel exhausted when I'm not manic and as a result, I can't do much. I experienced a very long manic period while working on Xmas Carol but it ended the instant I clicked "Publish". Regrettably, it hasn't returned. It's kinda weird. Each day I wait for mania to hit and...nothing. I'm stuck here in non-mania. Bor-ing.

I'm also not sure what I should work on once the mania hits, which it inevitably will. Should I rewrite The Worlds, the first novel of my sci-fi trilogy? It would be a ton of work but it's doable. The book is "already written" but after reading the draft recently it's obvious that I would have to rewrite the book from scratch. That's all right. I learned so much while writing Xmas Carol. I could put this knowledge to good use when tackling the rewrite. The Worlds was my first attempt at writing fiction -- and it shows. This would be a simpler task than writing a totally new novel because I wouldn't have to come up with the storyline. It's already there and it's a wonderful story.

On the other hand, I want to write something new. I could always save the sci-fi novels (there are two: The Worlds and The Pod, the God and the Planet) to work on when I get old and can't come up with new ideas because my brain doesn't work anymore. A scary thought. But right now I have a ton of story ideas I could work on. And I would be starting fresh. That sounds so good.

I also have this notion that it would be fun to write a short novel. It would require me to be economical and concise. In other words, it would require skills I haven't learned. That sounds appealing. I love to learn new things.

Anyway, this is just a shout-out to let readers know what's going on. I'm thinking about what to write next and I'm waiting for that next rush of mania. Where is it?! You haven't seen it, have you? If you do, would you send it to my house? I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

The book sounds good

After the last major edit I'm reading Xmas Carol, my horror novel, without changing a word. I'm on chapter nine and I expect smooth sailing ahead. Won't be long now. Hang on.

By the way, another person is reading the book. She tells me she can't put it down. We love to hear that stuff. I haven't had one negative reaction to the book. Not one. Coming soon, kiddies.

Journals: a lifelong habit

I've kept a journal since I was about 21. I'm 62* now, so I've been at this for a long, long time.

It's weird to look back at my earliest journals. I was a twit when I was in my twenties, truth be told. All I cared about was romance. Every entry was about my relationship with my lover -- as if this defined the world. I know: I was young and this is what youth does.