All Things End

After 78 posts over more than six years, I’ve decided to end this blog.

That’s big news, I suppose, so I’ll let it sit a minute before I continue.

I’ve enjoyed posting to my blog, A Collection of Thoughts and Ideas, over the past several years. But, as the popular saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Wikipedia explains this saying is thought to stem from Geoffrey Chaucer’s epic poem Troilus and Criseyde, written around 1380, where he wrote in book 3, lines 615-616, “But at the laste, as every thing hath ende/She took hir leve….”

If Chaucer could recognize in the 1380s that all things end, certainly I can recognize it now. And, unlike my extended break from blogging back in 2022, I don’t intend this ending to be temporary. Can I guarantee it won’t be temporary? Of course not. I don’t have ESP so can’t predict the future. But as of now, my intention is for this ending to be permanent.

To anyone who has enjoyed reading my blog or who has sent me feedback on my posts, I appreciate you. And if you ever wonder about my latest thoughts or ideas, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!

“The End” written in cursive script. (OpenClipArt/mpuq)

Announcing a New Blog Feature: Subscription Tool

I’m happy to announce a new feature on my blog: a subscription tool. In this blog entry, I’ll explain which tool I opted for, how I chose it, and why I decided to add this feature to my blog. I’ll also discuss future changes coming to my blog. I hope you find it enlightening!

Which tool did I opt for and how did I make my choice?

The subscription tool I chose for my blog is powered by follow.it, which is owned by a company called Inisev that provides open-source technology solutions and is dedicated to charitable giving. I chose follow.it based on its cost, its features, and its easy configuration. As for cost, I’m using the free version of the tool, also known as the basic plan, although paid options are available. I’m happy with the features provided with the plan I chose because I’m allowed unlimited subscribers and messages. A full outline of the features and pricing of all the available plans are on the follow.it website.

Another reason why I chose to use follow.it is its easy configuration. With only one step causing me confusion, I found the process of creating the subscription form and embedding it into my blog to be fairly simple. The one difficulty I had was with the step called “feed claiming.” However, my difficulty was resolved through just one email exchange with customer service.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use follow.it, I recommend checking out the company’s help pages. I read through every topic before making my choice, and I found the material easy to read and understand. I think you will, too. I should note that I’m not a paid endorser for follow.it or its owner Inisev, although Inisev does offer endorsement opportunities if you’re interested. That said, you may find that other subscription tool options are better for you.

The follow.it logo (displaying this logo in no way implies a relationship, affiliation, or endorsement by follow.it of my product, service or business) (follow.it Brand Assets/Inisev)

Why did I add this tool to my blog?

With the addition of this tool, readers can have each new blog entry I write delivered directly to their email inboxes. I subscribe to several Substack newsletters, and I enjoy finding out right in my email inbox when updates to these newsletters are available. I thought that such a feature might be helpful for my readers, too.

Another reason I’ve added this tool is to eliminate my reliance on social media to announce my new blog posts. Until now, I’ve relied on announcements to Facebook and LinkedIn to let readers know a new blog post is available. Because several years ago I took steps to make Facebook work better for me, trying to avoid its more negative aspects and focus on its positive ones, I felt my system of announcing my blog posts through social media was working well. However, over the past year, that opinion has changed, and I now find myself wanting to rely less on Facebook as a means of communication. In fact, I’m considering the timing of when I will exit the app entirely (I have enough to say about this that it could be its own blog post in the future!). Because I want to exit Facebook, I needed to find an alternative method for announcing my blog posts, and this subscription tool seemed to be a good solution.

Another factor I considered in adding this tool was whether subscribing might be onerous to my readers. I suppose if I posted to my blog multiple times each day every day, subscribers could feel overwhelmed by receiving too many email notifications. However, because I post to my blog roughly once per month, subscribers can expect to receive just one email monthly, which hopefully won’t seem onerous to anyone. And the sign-up procedure is simple, too. Just find the tool in the right menu of my blog, enter your email address, and click subscribe. Or, you can scroll to the bottom of a blog entry, click "subscribe," and follow the steps. Easy!

Future changes to my blog

My desire to exit Facebook comes amid a reexamination of all my technology use. I first became concerned about using Facebook when I realized how wealthy Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, which in turn owns Facebook, has become. According to Forbes’ daily list, at the time I'm writing this he’s the third richest person in the world, with a net worth of $235.5 billion. I don’t begrudge anyone monetary success, but to me, this seems excessive.

When I thought more about this issue, I realized that Zuckerberg is not the only tech leader to have amassed huge wealth. According to the Forbes daily list that cites him as the third richest person in the world, as of the time I’m writing this, nine of the top ten richest people in the world are in the technology industry, and they are all worth $150.5 billion or more. What business practices have these people followed to compile such wealth? And what are they doing with that wealth once they’ve compiled it?

I haven’t been happy with the answers to those questions. In many cases, the ethical choices I would make in their situations have not been the choices they’ve made. As one example, many of the donors contributing to destroying the East Wing of the White House and replacing it with a ballroom are involved in the tech industry, as reported by The Hill, a non-partisan print and online news source focused on government and business. Amazon, Apple, Google, HP, Meta, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, and T-Mobile are all tech companies included in the list of donors. I oppose this action to destroy a part of American history and the way it has been carried out, so I oppose these companies financially supporting it.

Interestingly, I use products from several of these companies in creating, posting, and publicizing my blog. I’ve already mentioned my use of Facebook, which is owned by Meta. I write on an HP computer using a Microsoft operating system and software. (Apple could be a viable alternative to the Microsoft operating system and software, but like Microsoft, Apple is on the list of donors.) My blog platform is powered by Google, and I embed my blog into my website, which is also powered by Google.

How much I will be able to avoid these technologies going forward and what that will mean for my blog remains to be seen. For now, I’m taking steps to avoid Meta in announcing my blog posts, and I’ll be investigating alternatives to the other technologies I use as well. As my mantra goes: one foot in front of the other. Stay tuned for future announcements as I figure out which changes I will make and how.

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Author Spotlight: Jayne Conway

After a brief hiatus in my series of author profiles to blog about the National Day on Writing, I’m back with another author spotlight. This time I’m highlighting Jayne Conway, romance novelist. She joins previous friends of mine I’ve profiled in my blog: literary critic and memoirist Daniel Paliwoda, mystery writer Jen Pitts, children’s author and illustrator Liza Woodruff, journalist and editor Algernon D’Ammassa, and e-zine writer and editor Charlie Bertsch.

Jayne and I met in elementary school when we spent fourth and fifth grades in the same homeroom. We attended a magnet program together called IGE (Individually Guided Education). In an article written for Education & Culture: The Journal of the John Dewey Society, Pyeong-gook Kim outlined the design of this federally-funded education reform movement as follows:

The planners intended that instructional programming for the individual student should not be interpreted to mean that all students engage in the same number or kinds of activities, or reach an identical level of achievement, interest, or motivation….While instructional programming is done for each individual student, instruction…is provided for groups of students with common learning needs. In practice, such grouping of students usually led to instruction on a content unit for two to three weeks, followed by post-assessment, some regrouping of students, and instruction on another content unit.

Being involved in this program was one of the highlights of my early learning. I have fond memories of the extracurricular activities my classmates and I took part in, as well as of the teachers and my fellow students, including Jayne!

Author Jayne Conway (Jayne Conway: About the Author/Jayne Conway)

Unfortunately, Jayne and I lost touch over the years, mainly because I left public school to attend private schools starting in the sixth grade. Jayne was active in our community, though, participating in a local theater group in the summers, performances of which I attended regularly. Although I have mixed feelings about Facebook and other social media, I’m glad it allowed us to reconnect.

I’m so pleased Jayne agreed to be profiled. She’s written four books, all while working full time as a teacher and being a single mother to three. She has also at times maintained a blog, and she is a skilled photographer. She’s truly multi-talented, a Renaissance woman you might say. You can find synopses of her books along with samples of her photography on her website. Additionally, she has author accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads, and you can contact her via any of those or through her Contact page on her website.

I hope you enjoy learning about Jayne’s writing life! Following is an interview that we edited collaboratively.

When did you first know you might become a writer?

I don’t think I consciously planned to become a writer. I’ve always kept journals and have always been a reader. I love getting lost in another world. When I created a bucket list in my late-thirties, I included writing a book. One day, at a particularly low point in my life, I sat down and the words started flowing.

What or who motivates you to write?

I write because I have a story to tell. Like many people my age, I think about the road not traveled. When I write, I’m exploring alternative realities, the what ifs of my own journey. It’s escapism, pure and simple.

What is your favorite part of your writing process and what do you most like about it?

My favorite part of the writing process is when I finish a chapter or a section of the book and realize it’s all falling into place. The puzzle pieces are fitting and the story is writing itself. I rarely have an outline or plan when I start a project, but I feel when it’s working, and that’s satisfying.

Where do you do most of your writing and why is that your chosen place?

I write at home, usually on the couch or at the kitchen table, but my ideas come to me when I’m driving or taking a walk.

Whose books do you most like to read and why?

Wally Lamb and Curtis Sittenfeld are two of my favorite fiction writers. The topics explored in their books are very different, but their characters are complex and relatable. Other than that, I read a lot of non-fiction. Doris Kearns Goodwin is without a doubt my favorite non-fiction writer. She knows how to transform history into a story and as a history teacher, that’s what I do every day.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Just do it. You don’t need a plan or a fancy set up or even complete silence to write. You don’t even have to start your story at the beginning. I find a lot of people don’t know where to begin and that’s okay. Start in the middle. Dive in and don’t worry about editing until later.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Writing has been a form of therapy for me. It’s something I do because it makes me feel good. It’s also something that will live on long after I’m gone and I find comfort in knowing a piece of me will live on.

Author Spotlight: Jen Pitts

With this blog post, I’m continuing my new series of posts profiling authors I know personally. In the first of the series, I profiled Daniel Paliwoda. This time I’m profiling my friend Jen Pitts. I’m excited for you to learn more about her and her writing! 

I’ve known Jen since we went to Rollins College together in Winter Park, Florida, where we were both English majors and became sorority sisters. Back then, I admired her positive outlook, her sense of humor, and her creativity. Not much has changed, as I still admire those things about her. Now, though, I admire her for even more. 

After a career in retail marketing and while she and her husband raised two children, Jen gradually transitioned into a career as a full-time creative writer. To make this transition, she first published a blog, then she switched to publishing books. I admire her for juggling so many changes in her life so successfully!

 

Author Jen Pitts (Jen Pitts Mystery Author/Jen Pitts)

Jen writes cozy mystery novels. For those not familiar with them, cozy mysteries are a genre focused on crime solving by an amateur detective surrounded by a small circle of friends or family. Works in this genre tend not to describe in detail any sexual or violent acts, hence the “cozy” moniker. Wikipedia offers a comprehensive overview of the genre as well as a list of some books, TV shows, and radio broadcasts that fit the mold.

Jen’s first series of cozy mysteries, called A French Quarter Mystery, contains seven books so far, all of which take place in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She has also started a second series, The Witches of the French Quarter, and she recently released her second book in that series. She’s accomplished all of that in four years, making her a pretty prolific writer! You can find all of her books on her website. She also maintains author pages on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Goodreads. If you subscribe to her newsletter, she’ll gift you a free short story, which is a prequel to her first cozy mystery novel.

I’m pleased to share this interview I conducted with Jen, which we edited collaboratively. 

When did you first know you might become an author?

I realized I was a writer in college, but I didn’t imagine I would become an author until I was about forty-eight years old. I wrote a handful of fiction pieces in college, but I concentrated on personal essays. Those stopped when I entered the corporate retail world. My entire writing time revolved around work—newsletters, ads, and catalog copy. I left that world to focus on being a stay-at-home mom and returned to personal writing. Yet, fiction writing was constantly on my mind.

When my youngest child entered elementary school, my husband suggested I go back to fiction writing. For Valentine’s Day in 2015, my husband gave me a drawing he did of a fleur-de-lis with a dagger and a pen. His artwork is now my logo for my company.

With his encouragement, I started working on my idea for my first book, The Key to Murder. I devoted time to it occasionally. When I became part of an arts community, attended classes, and joined a critique group, I finally believed I could be an author. It took me until March 2020 when I published my first book that I called myself an author.

What or who motivates you to write?

I love sharing my love of mysteries and New Orleans with others. At first, I was thrilled to get these stories out of my head and onto paper. When I began publishing, the demand for my books brought me joy, excitement, and a bit of worry about keeping pace. But I am keeping up and I love writing even more.

What is your favorite part of your writing process and what do you most like about it?

I love plotting. Planning mysteries, selecting characters, settings, and clues is fun. My outlines are always subject to change and they always do. New characters, different settings, more puzzling murders always pop up as I write my stories. And of course my characters always want to add in their two cents.

Where do you do most of your writing and why is that your chosen place?

I love my office at home. Behind my desk are bookshelves filled with all kinds of books. Some are for pleasure, some for work, although my “work” books are ones I enjoy, too. Once I tell visitors I’m a mystery writer, they’re not as concerned about the Voodoo and witch handbooks on my shelves.

I also love to write in coffee shops and not just for the coffee. Now, some might call what I do there eavesdropping, but I call it research. I’ve found unique names for characters, interesting bits of dialogue, and an occasional dramatic scene.

Whose books do you most like to read and why?

I love all kinds of mysteries! From cozies to police procedurals, I’ll read just about anything with a mystery element. I also enjoy psychological thrillers.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

It’s never too late to go for your dreams! Once I started writing fiction again, I wasn’t sure if I would finish a story. But I wanted to at least try. I’m so glad that I wrote that novel. I published my first book at fifty-one years old and I’ve released eight books with one available in prerelease and more to come. Don’t let your age or fear of failure keep you from trying!

Anything else you'd like to share?

I’d love to say thank you to my family and friends. They have been an amazing support group through these last four years. Not just my friends I see every day, but also those I’ve reconnected with on Facebook. And a special thanks to my sorority sisters, especially you, Karen! You’ve been a steadfast supporter from the beginning. Now it’s time for you to write a book!

Author Spotlight: Daniel Paliwoda

In my blog, I’ve written a few times about famous authors and their books. Among them have been John Kerry, Madeleine L’Engle, Anne Tyler, Joy Harjo, and the Korean authors Min Kym, Kyung-Sook Shin, Eugenia Kim, and Yoojin Grace Wuertz. With this blog post, I’m trying something new—profiling authors I know personally.

First up is my former colleague and now friend Daniel Paliwoda. Dan and I met when we were both on the faculty of the US Military Academy at West Point. We both taught English there for a few years before moving on to other opportunities. 

Author Daniel Paliwoda (My Writer’s Notebook/Daniel Paliwoda)

Among Dan’s many accomplishments is his book Melville and the Theme of Boredom. As the title clearly delineates, this book is about the author Herman Melville and the theme of boredom in his works. It was published in 2010 by McFarland & Company, which, according to its website, is an independent publisher that produces approximately 350 academic and general-interest nonfiction books per year and is “best known for the serious treatment of popular culture.”

For the past several years, Dan has been working on the manuscript of his second book. This manuscript, tentatively titled Living with Katyn: A Personal and Literary Odyssey, not only tells the story of the Katyn Massacre, but it also deals with some of Dan’s research experiences, including his detention and interrogation by Russian security forces and his witness to a racially motivated attack in a Moscow subway station, as summarized on his website. Interestingly, he first became interested in writing about the Katyn Massacre when I knew him at West Point, and I remember him talking with much passion and vigor about the topic.

Dan keeps a blog, where he writes about diverse subjects, many of them related to his writing and his writing process. He can also be found on Facebook and Instagram where he maintains author pages. If you’d like to communicate via email, you can contact him on his website.

Following is an interview I conducted with Dan, which we edited collaboratively.

When did you first know you might become an author?

This question isn’t an easy one to answer. As a 1980s teenager listening to hard rock music and playing the electric guitar, I fancied myself as a “songwriter.” The lyrics were corny, but I imagined myself as a poet like Walt Whitman or Charles Baudelaire. Of course, those songs/poems weren’t any good, but I considered myself as “published” by the fact that I had written them. Later, when I completed my M.A. thesis on Herman Melville, I didn’t see myself as an “author.” Beyond the thesis committee, my wife, and my late friend Steve, no one else would read it; hence I wasn’t an “author.” Months later, another graduate student contacted me about my Melville thesis. He was interested in my academic writing. Huh? Me?

Even when I completed my doctorate, also on Melville, I felt I was an incomplete “author”; I needed to publish the dissertation as a “book,” which I eventually did, but again, I didn’t feel like an “author.” Of course, I was an “author,” but something was impeding me from viewing myself as one. Only when I discovered my next major writing project, the Katyn Massacre, did I feel like an “author.” The Katyn project was my first significant project as a “Ph.D.,” not simply as a “graduate student.” You can say I was going through an identity crisis. Only when I realized I was an “intellectual” did I see myself as an “author,” too.

What or who motivates you to write?

My writing motivations are varied. My wife and children always have encouraged me. My late friend Steve, who was my university writing professor and then later a dear friend, became like family and inspired me; now, his spirit and memory continue to inspire me. My Katyn book manuscript editor who is also a close friend is an important affirming presence. My classroom students and their questions have generated deeper thinking and hopefully better writing. And of course, the many artists I have fallen in love with—not only literary ones. I love music! I am an amateur guitar player, and music played an enormous role for me while completing the Katyn manuscript.

What is your favorite part of your writing process and what do you most like about it?

I enjoy brainstorming and mapping my ideas. I feel like an explorer. “Oh, what’s that?” or “What if I go down this path; what will I find?” I like to find the “big picture” for a writing project, and I spend hours, even months wrestling with ideas in my mind before committing those ideas into actual written words. I convince myself that the mental exercises I perform build my confidence. Once I can “see” the writing project and “feel” the ideas, the writing becomes easier.

Where do you do most of your writing and why is that your chosen place?

When I wrote my dissertation on Herman Melville, I wrote the draft everywhere: the university library, park bench, inside my car… I mean everywhere. At the time, I was a father to a young child, and I quickly learned I needed to organize my time. My son needed me, and I refused to compromise my relationships with him and my wife because writing would take time away from them. My wife is a nurse who works the night shift, which served to help me concentrate my time. When I had put my son to bed, I would take a brief nap, waking up at 10 PM. I’d drink coffee and write at the dining room table. I would write until 4 or 5 AM and sleep. Then I’d take my son to preschool and go teach at university. Repeat.

Now, my children are older; however, I still adhere to that early dictate: manage my time so that the writing doesn’t compete with my loved ones. Another difference between the Melville project and my current Katyn work is that earlier I handwrote the entire dissertation, but now I type the whole manuscript. Initially I handwrote this manuscript, too; however, I found it took too much time. For example, 60-plus pages took me over three weeks to transcribe. It felt like double work. In other words, I was wasting time. So, now I sit and type in “The Blue Room,” the family room noted for its vibrant blue painted walls. I still rely upon actual notebooks to jot down handwritten notes or to brainstorm.

Whose books do you most like to read and why?

I haven’t read a book for pleasure in a long time; in fact, I can’t remember what that book was or when I read it. Because I teach university writing and literature courses using essays, novels, poems, etc., I reread them. I read and grade student essays based upon those texts. I miss that experience of just reading a book with no obligations toward it; however, I do listen to audiobooks. Even when I listen to a voice actor reading a book, my book choices often are “work-related” ones, books that I would teach at university. Nonetheless, the books I teach are among my most cherished ones.

My last graduate-level literature course was on the Russian novelist Dostoevsky. He is my favorite artist. His philosophical and psychological breadth taught many lessons about writing and reading. For that course, we read everything; however, I stopped reading midway through Demons because the writing beautifully overwhelmed me, and I didn’t have the time or strength to read The Brothers Karamazov. So, both Demons and The Brothers Karamazov will be the first two books I will read because I want to read them, not for a class but for me.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Write daily. Doing so helps to curb writer’s block. While drafting my current book manuscript, I was plagued by terrible writer’s block. During the early years of writing the chapter drafts, I wasn’t consistent; I didn’t have a pre-fixed writing schedule. And when I did write, I doubted each word, phrase … everything. I also teach university writing classes, and when my writing students encounter similar writing difficulties, I have an entire lesson plan on writer’s block. For some reason, I didn’t heed my own advice. Why not? Ugh. I undermined myself with doubts like, “I can’t write that,” “What will people think of me when I say this,” or “What am I writing about, again?” I became angry with myself for giving in to this undermining of myself, my writing self. I had enough; I reached a breaking point. I told myself I needed to finish drafting the manuscript by the end of 2020. The world was shut down, and I had time; however, a close friend died, and I mourned.

The following year, I asked another friend to be my manuscript editor. We negotiated a schedule: I will deliver Chapters 1, 2, and 3 by this date. At first the process was slow going, but it was progress. These early drafts were fragmentary, but they had potential. I needed someone to nudge me, to corral me, and to remind me that I do have something important to say. We established another due date for more writing content. Then a breakthrough occurred: the manuscript’s message began to become clear. And that insight was the first impetus to revise. A new, stronger confidence arrived. Writing the manuscript felt like therapy when I eventually came to terms with my uncertainties and even guilt about writing the manuscript. Once I achieved this victory, the writing flowed.

Therefore, find yourself a community of supporters, especially a community of fellow writers or teachers, and write. Even though the manuscript is now complete, and I am reviewing it currently, I continue to write everyday: my blogsite. And I credit my blogs as the main reason I don’t experience writer’s block. The blogsite functions as my notebook; releasing weekly blogs keeps me accountable.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Be open to changing up your writing process. While drafting the Melville book, I couldn’t listen to music because it would distract me. At first, I applied that same condition to writing the early drafts of the Katyn manuscript; I’m unsure whether doing so was effective or not. During the last two years of writing the Katyn manuscript, I realized that I needed to re-evaluate everything: transition from handwriting to typing, writing environment, everything. I experimented with the Pomodoro Method [see the original archived website describing this technique]; instead of setting a time clock, I used particular musical compositions (from Gregorian chants, Black Sabbath with Dio, to ambient sound) as my timer. I discovered that certain musical pieces entranced me, liberating me from writer’s block. The music’s rhythms or forcefulness would provide the energy and timbre of my written words. I am convinced listening to music while composing my own creative work allowed me to finish (finally) my Katyn manuscript. I would have surprised my younger academic self about this reliance upon music to finish writing!