Prior to the pandemic, I used to travel a lot, and I traveled with a lot of stuff. I’d bring a large suitcase (to check) and a laptop bag and sometimes also a backpack for even a 3-day trip. When I got tired of checking and hauling the suitcase, I switched to using Dufl.com, which …
Chris Answers Questions About Writing
People often ask writers about their daily schedules, hoping to get some nugget of advice that’s going to help them finally start or finish the novel they’ve been planning. I totally understand where this question is coming from, and I ask the same question of anyone who manages to exercise on a regular basis. Writing …
How I Plan to Sell One Book Per Week
I've decided to pull out all the stops and sell one copy of my novel per week. I realize that this may sound like a completely unrealistic and "pie in the sky" sort of a goal, but I've never been one to back away from the difficult things. It's like JFK said, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
From Writing to Public Speaking
A few months ago, I was asked to speak at a large conference for software developers in Vienna. The organizers of the conference invited me based on some articles I wrote that they enjoyed, and not because of my speaking ability. Not one to turn down an opportunity to travel to Europe, I said yes.
Howl.com
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by startups, weakened caffeinated bloated, hunching themselves over glowing screens at night looking for a syntax error, filthyheaded coders burning for the algorithmic connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of Steve, who overworked and malnourished and burned-out and tired stayed …
A Long Swim in Hell
This summer, I took part in a 5 kilometer open water swim called The Swim to the Moon near the town of Hell, Michigan. Here’s my account of why I did it, how I trained for it, and what it was like. Who am I? I swam competitively as a kid and in high school. …
What writing death notices taught me about writing
I’ve been a professional writer for 22 years. The first time my writing was published was in 1993, when I was the circulation manager for a small weekly newspaper in Detroit. The full-time reporters considered the job of writing death notices to be beneath them, and shoved it off onto me. I loved it. Each …
My Writing Cave Quest
A couple months ago, I started a writing group. My vision for the group was that once a week, my writer friends and I would get together to write, talk about writing, act stupid, and share stories. I named the group the Hemingway and Gump School of Writing. I chose a location that served beer and coffee and …