So, I read a quote the other day that really struck me. The quote was, “If a man should write to entertain himself, he cannot fail but to entertain others.”

Dunno who originally said it (if you know, tell me and I’ll attribute it), but I realized something fundamental about the way that I write.

I write in terms of a single, unified story. There is a hero, he walks a path, fights against iniquity, and wins. I make an outline wherein I list each of those goals, and all the sub-goals that exist on the path of getting him from point A to point B. Along the way, I have him talk with others, consider the bigger questions around what he’s doing, that sort of thing. Above all, though, I had every scene advance that one storyline toward the end goal.

Click here for more Mierau goodness

For my birthday this past year, author and podcaster John Mierau wrote a short piece for me, combining several of my stories. Check it out!

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“Cliffy, please!”

“That was four lives ago, Dizzy!” he growled. His name was Clive now, the miner finished to himself, as the airlock lights cycled from red to yellow then green.

The hammering on the outside of the door was loud enough to hear when he removed the red, dust-pitted helmet.

“Fine, yes, alright, ‘Clive’. Now really, you simply must let me in!”