About Writing

The Death of Microsoft Word

by Shawn April 19, 2012
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Some of the stuff that caught my attention this week: Should Microsoft Word go the way of the dinosaur? Based on the title, I think the writer of this article would say, YES: Microsoft Word is Cumbersome, Inefficient and Obsolete: It is Time for it to Die (via my friend Jim) No Pulitzer Prize for [...]

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Do Something Irresponsible

by Shawn April 16, 2012

I sat quietly in a mall somewhere in Nashville a few weeks ago and looked at my ringing cell phone. The call I had been waiting for. “Hello?” The guy’s name was Kevin – I had never spoken to him before, but a shared friend had connected us, thought we should talk. And as I [...]

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Another Example of How God Doesn’t Play Low-Stakes Poker

by Shawn January 30, 2012

I got the call on the way to Virginia. First I should tell you that when we approached our wonderful landlords about our upcoming trip, we told them we would be moving out. We couldn’t afford to pay rent AND be on the road, so we planned to put our stuff in storage and then [...]

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Five Writing Secrets Found in the Movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

by Shawn January 13, 2012

I don’t remember the first time I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but (as I’ve explained while pulling writing secrets from other 80s movies) I was only nine years old for most of 1986 and there’s no way my parents were going to let me watch a PG-13 rated movie at that point. But it [...]

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How a Harebrained Idea is Turning Into a Cross-Country Trip

by Shawn January 3, 2012

Over 10,000 miles. 31 states. 115 days. I want to leave tomorrow. For years, Maile and I have dreamed of hitting the road for an extended period of time. We’ve always enjoyed road trips and exploring new places. When I started writing full time just over two years ago, this idea began percolating: What if [...]

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The Only Rule: There are None

by Shawn December 28, 2011

The first and last important rule for the creative writer, then, is that though there may be rules (formulas) for ordinary, easily publishable fiction – imitation fiction – there are no rules for real fiction, any more than there are rules for serious visual art or musical composition…Invention, after all, is art’s main business, and [...]

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Encouragement vs. Despair: Steinbeck’s One Purpose in Writing

by Shawn December 12, 2011

“There is one purpose in writing that I can see, beyond simply doing it interestingly. It is the duty of the writer to lift up, to extend, to encourage.   “If the written word has contributed anything at all to our developing species and our half-developed culture, it is this: Great writing has been a [...]

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