Monthly Archives: April 2016

From a Big Sur writing retreat part IV

Nog and sap Anticipation in the house was almost palpable at Christmas time. Decorations, the large real tree, the Burl Ives and Bing Crosby holiday records; these were all lugged out of the big blue storage trunk the first week of December. Back then Thanksgiving actually included decorations that kept the event separate from Christmas.Continue reading “From a Big Sur writing retreat part IV”

From a Big Sur writing retreat part III

Sand and Budweiser I wasn’t sure it was a good idea at the time, and I couldn’t have been more than six. Uncle Vince, a family friend who wasn’t my real uncle at all, once held my brother and I by our ankles over the roof of a K-Mart while it was still under constructionContinue reading “From a Big Sur writing retreat part III”

Central Coast Writers – they seem cool

Get a group of writers together and you never know what might happen. The term “herding cats” springs to mind. But the term “universe of awesome” also comes up in my head. There are so many different types of people who write, from those who think they’re the next Douglas Adams to those who thinkContinue reading “Central Coast Writers – they seem cool”

From a Big Sur writing retreat part II

sunshine and gulls It’s skies are crawling with gulls. They sit on every streetlight – along Fremont and up the city’s spine, Broadway (now also called Obama Way). For Seaside, tucked nicely between Fort Ord and Monterey, it’s a fitting new name. I kissed a girl for the first time at Martin Luther King MiddleContinue reading “From a Big Sur writing retreat part II”

From a Big Sur writing retreat part I

He-Man and other childhood milestones I remember a lot of things, but not the sound of her voice. I remember when she took me to K-Mart and bought me a He-Man figure the weekend they came out. I can still feel his plastic muscles in my hands. I remember when she told me the truthContinue reading “From a Big Sur writing retreat part I”

Esalen stream of consciousness DAY ONE

  My coffee overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Rain drenched Big Sur coastline. Soupy slate blue sea smashing against the craggy, fog covered edge of California. Smeared across Esalen are crowds. Milling quietly to and fro. Nervous energy in the air, but it could be just me. It probably is just me. Tried to write inContinue reading “Esalen stream of consciousness DAY ONE”

Writing in curmudgeon

JD Salinger almost nailed it. He didn’t like art on the covers of his books. It took away from the tale by creating what might be a false sense of the story inside, by telling the reader (by default) what they should see in their heads when they crack the spine. Even his name confusedContinue reading “Writing in curmudgeon”