grin and bare it
A blog by Matthew Dicks
My writing group
About six months ago, I gathered some friends who are interested in writing and formed a writing group. We meet about once every other month and discuss our work. It’s quite a varied group. We…
Read MoreInternational
My mother-in-law found SOMETHING MISSING listed on the Japanese version of Amazon today. Kind of neat. Huh? While I'm not certain, I think this is actually an English version of the book, being sold in…
Read MoreOne step closer
The Advanced Reader Copy for SOMETHING MISSING arrived today! An ARC is (in the words of Wikipedia) is a copy of a book released by its publisher before the book has gone to press. ARCs…
Read MoreStrunk, White and the placenta
Last night Elysha and I attended our final birth class. Though the first two classes were highly informative and well worth my time, this was the class that included the breathing exercises and the dreaded…
Read MoreHow to make your wife cry
I have many reasons to write, and most are of the high-minded, creative sort. But I also like to make my wife cry. It was a Friday in May, and I was at work. My…
Read MoreLiterary and humorous
Each day, Something Missing seems to pop up on another bookselling website, and each time Google Alert informs me of this, it’s just as exciting as the first time. Though admittedly the book’s appearance on…
Read MoreStealing from real life
Something Missing is a work of fiction. Even so, there are elements of my own life contained therein. Several characters are loosely based upon friends and acquaintances, certain plotlines vaguely resemble actual moments in my…
Read MoreWhen to revise?
Danny (an old high school friend, perhaps?) asks: When you write, do you draft everything quickly and then rewrite later, or do you craft each sentence until it is done? Every writer is different. There…
Read MoreSomething Missing on Facebook
My buddy, Tom, started a Fans of Something Missing group on Facebook last week. It’s already got about forty members, even though most of them have yet to read the book. Yesterday he assigned me…
Read MoreDivision of labor
One of the challenges of writing, at least for me, is how to divide my time, my attention and my energy. Holding down a job as an elementary school teacher (and finding it difficult to…
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