All of It

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Writers Gonna Write

Launched! Writers Gonna Write is launched. The first article welcoming everyone has been sent. It's a weekly Substack publication for writers seeking real-world guidance. I have published four books, co-authored several others as a ghostwriter, and written numerous...

A Call to Fellow Artists

NEWS: Speaking out, through whatever form of protest, is facing the scrutiny and possible persecution by the U. S. Government, via a series of "hundreds of legal requests or administrative subpoenas" to many social media companies. Is this something we tolerate in...

A Writer at Home

Many writers work alone. This is refreshing. No office politics and other pettiness, no commute (Atlanta traffic is horrible and leaders won't plan to resolve it), and no bad cafeteria lunches. Instead, I crank up the music, workout (I need to do more), and grill...

Three Years

Three years ago, in 2021, I saw a couple of spiders on my deck. I had only been in Georgia 5 years, and was still discovering how different the wildlife is from my life in the Chicago area. Always fascinated by insects and spiders, I looked it up, and it led me to...

Joyful Writing

Writing, particularly fiction, for me is a wonderful experience. I've created a world, characters, a plot, and everything else. Sure, I'm drawing from the greater pool of the known universe. Everything out there already exists, so all I'm doing is combining a few...

Don’t Miss the Message

Don't miss the message. Otherwise, you might get bit by a snake. Where I live, it's a real warning, not merely a metaphor. I took the photo of this sign. Several other signs like this were through the park. Copperheads are the biggest, but not only threat. This isn't...

Rudy Trendl

That's my late dad, Rudy Trendl. More of a joke teller than witty, but as you can see, he had a smile ready to go. Here, he's celebrating his 80th birthday, some eight months before he died. He helped me professionally without realizing it. As founder and head coach...

Writing Through Thinking

WRITING TIP: I often write before I touch a keyboard. When I'm working with a client, I listen. I try to learn their voice and their message. Then I write the speech in my head. Actually, I don't write it. I deliver it to an imaginary audience. I'll speak...

On Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. I don't know if he cares... or if he doesn't. We've never chatted. It is what it is. I'm a writer. Things like that catch my eye. What I like about it -- Bob getting the award -- is it caused a new look at his old work...

Reviewing Poetry Translations

Reviewing Poetry Translations Years back, I reviewed a number of translations: Hungarian-translated-into-English books. Mostly poetry. While I feel comfortable reviewing poetry in English, I realized how important to know Hungarian culture and history is. I know bits...

Language: Cussing, Swearing, and University Pastimes Involving the F-Bomb

Freshman year at Illinois State University... I redefined myself. Wasn't the first time I rebuilt my image, but the previous time, I fell into myself. No control. This time, I was in charge. I was smart, taking literature courses, I read Kerouac, Ginsberg, men of...