Mike Reuther's Blog, page 9
January 1, 2015
December 30, 2014
December 17, 2014
FREE book on freelance writing
FREE Book, Dec. 17-19. Get started on writing and making money doing it. Learn how in this book from longtime writer, journalist and author Mike Reuther.
Freelance Writing for Beginners: How to Make Money Writing (1)
December 16, 2014
“Egads Jon. I mean. What does it all come to?”
“Er … what...
“Egads Jon. I mean. What does it all come to?”
“Er … what are you talking about Professor M?”
Jon��took a sip of his scotch and gazed out at the holiday lights, a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors all up and down the main street of this rustic town. Oh he did like Christmas time. The lights brightened up this little Alaskan village which otherwise could be pretty dreary and gray in December.
“Listen to me Jon. I’m serious. What does it all mean?”
“You’re not going to let this go. Are you?”
Damn. And he had been in a pretty darn good mood too. The freakin’ holiday break hadn’t come soon enough. He so liked sitting here in the dining room of the Rusty Nail, easily the town’s nicest establishment, and sipping on his scotch and just …well …kind of phasing out. It was the first holiday in years he hadn’t been faced with one crisis or another. Last year, Melissa and him had called it quits right before Christmas. That had been one of his worst holidays. The year before, McPhee, his faithful Beagle had died. Good ol’ McPhee, a fine loyal canine. Okay. What if McPhee had a bladder problem. He’d dealt with that, and the freakin’ barking too. McPhee was such a sweet pup, always there in the living room waiting to be petted. Then there was the Christmas he���d lost his damn job to downsizings at the newspaper. Damn publisher gathered the crew together right there in newsroom on Christmas Eve, for Pete’s sakes, and made the announcement. That had sucked for about five minutes. And then he realized, it was the escape he’d always wanted. He’d moved up here to the North Country and got a job helping out with those bush pilots and their business. Learned to set trap lines, had taken up hunting. Hell, he had really embraced the whole culture of Alaska. Of course, Professor M had moved up here as well, had taken that job teaching in Alaska and that had put a crimp into the little bit of paradise he’d created for himself. The guy was always invading his space. Of course, most of the time his old mentor stayed right down there in Anchorage, some 250 miles away.
“I feel we’re all waiting for Godot Jon.”
“Oh … not that again.”
“Listen to me Jon,” Professor M said, turning now to his prot��g��. “I’m in crisis. I think I’m having one of those existential moments.”
“When I get one of those I just take a drink.” And with that Jon threw back his head and swallowed off the remaining scotch before calling for another drink. “Hell Professor. We only live once.”
“Do we? I mean … how do we know?”
December 11, 2014
Use the snow to write
It’s snowing out there all over the Northeast. If you’re a writer and stuck inside, so much the better. Get writing. You have no excuses. Okay. Shovel the walk or the driveway if you must. And if you have��nowhere else to go – work, wherever – knock off about 4,000 words. Let it flow.
Write the Darn Book: Become an Author
December 10, 2014
Write today
If you’ve ever felt better about yourself after getting in your writing for the day, there is nothing more I can add in the way of an incentive.
December 9, 2014
Writing about … whatever
I got to thinking how people get blocked trying to write and decided that if all else fails just go with the most random thought you have. Sometimes my wife will say, “It seems like a Saturday.” To which I respond, “Well, what does a Saturday seem like to you? Can you describe it?” She throws me an annoyed look as if to say, “That’s like trying to explain sex to a three-year-old.” Okay, point well taken. However, if you were to ask me to describe what a Saturday “seems like” I might say, “Chain saws buzzing in the distance, a lawnmower roaring in the neighorhood, morning cartoons, sunshine, my dad puttering around the garden, freshly mowed grass, the smell of a baseball glove, college football droning on the television, the smell of meat cooking on a grille.” There you go. Imagery from my childhood in small town Pennsylvania. It stays with you. Think there’s a story there somewhere? I think there are about two dozen – easy.
December 1, 2014
A free book – Dec. 1, 2 – that will make you laugh
Members of the Crazy Writers Group gather on Tuesday nights in a local watering hole to bemoan their fates as unpublished authors. But a new era is dawning with epublishing. The question is: Will they be selling their literary souls by taking that step? Frustrated as writers and with their jobs and lives, something has to give. But what? A story of misspent youth, literary longing and the choices – both good and bad – we all make in life. The Crazy Writers Group is a wry, painful glimpse into the foibles of human nature.
The Crazy Writers Group: Glory Days of Dreamers, Misfits and Others
November 11, 2014
Download this FREE book Nov. 11-14 to learn how to write the book of your dreams
Many people dream of writing a book, but few ever getting around to doing it. Why? Mike Reuther, author of “Write the Darn Book“, believes too many aspiring writers set themselves up for failure by believing it’s difficult. It doesn’t have to be. The key is writing from one’s heart to allow for the free flow of words to come pouring out. In no time at all – a matter of weeks – a writer can have a manuscript ready to be edited and eventually published. The book also covers literary agents and the publishing world. Drawing from some of his own experience, the author reveals mistakes to avoid in writing and trying to get published. This book makes it clear that anyone with the desire to write a book can make it happen. And the good news is, it’s quite simple. http://www.amazon.com/Write-Darn-Book-Mike-Reuther-ebook/dp/B009TSNY8O/ref=la_B009M5GVUW_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415723564&sr=1-2
October 14, 2014
The writer is crazy
The myth of writer as madman is one that has been with us for generations. And perhaps there is more than a bit of truth to it.
Chapter 7 – Write the Darn Book
