M.G. Herron's Blog, page 18
October 21, 2017
The path of discipline
The other day I wrote about how creativity is not a well that can be emptied, or which diminishes over time. It’s more like a muscle that gets stronger with exercise.
I was talking about writing. But sometimes coincidence packs a hell of a punch. I fired up my podcasts app yesterday and saw that Jocko Willink, decorated Navy Seal, was guest hosting The Tim Ferriss show.
The topic? Discipline.
He has a new book out called Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual. One section talks about the “p...
October 20, 2017
Jolt to the system
Photo taken at Houndstooth this afternoon.
Austin is littered with coffee shops like this. Free WiFi and delicious, imported, overpriced cups of joe. Spent a few hours there writing to finish up the day. Backwards Fridays continue to serve me well. It’s like a jolt to the system. A soft refresh.
And now the weekend stretches ahead of me like the still waters of a lapis lagoon.
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October 19, 2017
Reading: The Traveler
I picked up this high tech thriller a few weeks ago. Started reading tonight.
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks. Published 2005 by Vintage Books.
Good solid opening chapter, a training scene combined with a betrayal. Our hero, Maya, reminds me of the skateboarder in Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash, a fearless young woman. Danger obviously lurks around the corner. And it’s exceptional, because Maya has been prepared for it in a perfectly believable way.
The voice is stark and cyberpunky and occas...
October 18, 2017
3 things I learned blogging for 30 days in a row
Today marks the 30th day in a row of blogging here on mgherron.com!
I’m celebrating this small victory with my favorite cider…
*KACHNK*
*HHSSSSSSSS*
*SLURP*
Ahhhh, yeahup. That hits the spot.
Blogging every day for a month was a good challenge. Here are a few things I already knew, but which the challenge brought to the forefront and clarified for me.
1. Streaks don’t tolerate excusesInevitably, if you try to do anything worth doing for 30 days in a row (writing, exercising, getting enough...
October 17, 2017
A new apocalyptic book cover!
The next short story I’m going to publish as a solo effort is a post-apocalyptic adventure called Centurion, which first appeared in the science fiction anthology At The Helm: Volume 3.
But I like having them available as standalone ebooks, too, and since I’ve now managed to establish a brand for my post-apoc series, it’s really fun to see them all together.
So here’s the new cover for Centurion, which will be published soon. Plus all the other post-apoc stories I’ve put out this year, four o...
October 16, 2017
Writing has nothing to do with how you feel about it
I’m gonna have to go look up the writing book where I first encountered this advice, because it’s escaping me right now, but the wisdom went something like this:
The quality of your writing has no correlation to how you feel about it while you’re writing.
That’s right, no matter whether you’re happy or sad, angry or depressed, jubilant or hungover, your emotional state does not correlate to the quality of the words you’re writing.
I’ve had days when I’m a miserable grump, and write a great sc...
October 15, 2017
Writing is like driving at night in the fog…
“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
― E.L. Doctorow, Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews
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October 14, 2017
Sometimes writing is thinking
Today was mostly life stuff — groceries, cutting the grass, seeing friends, cooking food. Good food, too. The steak and lemon risotto we made for dinner was absolutely delicious.
I did find a little time to write. The first part of that was spent doing distance and speed calculations for the logistical problem I stumbled upon on Translocator 3 yesterday. The second part was spent staring off into space wondering how I was going to fix it.
Sometimes thinking is writing. And in this case it cer...
October 13, 2017
Third long day of catching up, and a T3 update!
I’ve been super busy since I got home from the trip.
Finally managed a full day of fiction writing, which in my books means over 1000 good words. That takes a few hours. Alongside several more hours in the chair working on freelance projects and I’m pretty zapped by the end of it. I didn’t even really want to write this blog but I’m on a streak, baby, and there’s no way I’m letting that go.
Translocator 3 is coming along nicely. I noticed a logistical/plot problem in the first act that needs...
October 12, 2017
Make Like The Roaches And Survive: A Post-Apocalyptic Story
A brand new post-apocalyptic story I wrote back in August is now available as an ebook! You can download Make Like The Roaches And Survive on Amazon, or on iBooks, Kobo, Nook and other retailers.
This is a brand new story that fleshes out the post-apocalyptic universe I created in The End of the World Is Better with Friends, and continued with Low Desert, High Mountain, Big Lizard. Like those two stories, this one introduces a new character in a dire situation, is packed with action and sprin...
