Characterization, Structure, Voice, Point of View, Agents & Lobbyists, Novel Submission Process, AI & Plagiarism, Why I Write, Self Publishing
September 14, 2026
What is plagiarism?
Not long ago my ninth-grade granddaughter showed me a short story she had written and asked if I would comment on it. I read it and found it to be a sweet story about a squirrel who ate a magic acorn that gave him the power to fly. The story was well written with a beginning, middle, and ending. And it presented the squirrel’s story in a way that kept my attention.
September 7, 2026
A few days ago while working on a short story, I decided to use the name of an actual town in Oregon, one that would be near the fictional town I was using. My first inclination was to pull up an Oregon road map on my computer and see if I could identify a small rural town that was located roughly forty-five miles from Portland. Then another idea came to mind.
August 23, 2026
We recognize it now. We imagine where it will take us. Singularity. It arrives when what’s seen as normal becomes impossible to predict or measure and Artificial Intelligence becomes much smarter than humans. Changes occur so fast that mere mortals cannot predict what will happen next. The robots take control.
