Baby’s First Ballgame

We took my son to his first ballgame on Sunday! Eight months old and he loved it. He happily took in all the new sights, smells, and sounds, and for a while I think he was actually watching the game.

It didn’t hurt that the Giants won that day either. Seeing the world through my son’s eyes this weekend was fun, and everything from the train ride to seeing the sailboats circle the ballpark was all new and exciting to him. It’s something my wife and I would definitely do with our son again.

How was your weekend? What new experiences have you sought out recently or relived through another? How are the “dog days” of August treating you?  

Writing Short-Stories

How often do you write short-stories? How often do you read short-stories? What short-story contests do you follow?

I’ve been on a bit of a short-story writing binge, which is unusual for me, since I’m typically a strictly novelist type of writer (with some poetry once in a while). One thing I’ve really enjoyed about writing short-stories lately is that I can finish a 2,000 to 5,000 word story in a day, instead of taking three months to craft out an 85,000 word novel. So it’s pretty satisfying in that respect. Some of my favorite short-stories to read include Joyce, London, Irving, and Hawthorne.

What do you like to write? Novel? Non-fiction? Short-story? Poetry? Screenplay? Onstage drama? What types of contests have you found where you like to submit your work? 

Putting Your Dreams To Work

How do you utilize your sleeping hours? Do you ever use your dreams at night to get things done? Maybe you solve a problem or ruminate on something you’ve been thinking about?

I’ve noticed lately that I continue to dream about books I’m working on. Sometimes I’ll even come up with great plot elements in my sleep and later incorporate them into my writing when I’m awake. At first I thought this odd behavior until I looked online and learned that people all over the world from artists to mathematicians use their sleeping hours (their dreamtime) to help find solutions to whatever they’re working on in their waking hours.

So how can you better utilize your sleeping/dreaming hours? Do you ever get inspiration from a dream? How do you get in touch with your creative unconscious side?