Away

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 22 The Light Bearer went up on KDP today. That's two novels published in 2026. The first one took five months from manuscript to launch. This one took longer than I wanted — I missed my own deadline, pushed through more revisions than I planned for, and learned that … Continue reading Away

Start Writing Something Different

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 21 Years ago, I wrote a blog post about the difference between facts and story. I used an example of two people answering the same question — "how was your day?" One gave a list: did some spreadsheets, took some calls, met a new coworker, came home. The other … Continue reading Start Writing Something Different

Deep Breath

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 20 Every once in a while, you need to take a deep breath. We had friends over tonight that we've known for over twenty-five years. Good people. The kind you don't have to perform for. The kind where you sit down, the conversation starts, and three hours disappear. Whatever … Continue reading Deep Breath

My Fault

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 19 I was in a business conversation today. I thought I was being clear. I gave what I believed were straightforward directives — here's the problem, here's what I need done, here are the actions to take. One person on the call almost point-blank refused to accept the message. … Continue reading My Fault

Breaking Parkinson’s Law

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 18 Parkinson's Law says work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Give yourself two weeks to do something that takes a day, and it'll take two weeks. Not because the work is hard. Because you'll let it. I've been watching myself do this for months. I … Continue reading Breaking Parkinson’s Law