by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Oct 28, 2015 | Behind the Scenes, Excerpts
Four lanes separated Heath from life and death—two each direction. On one side, endless streams of people flowed beneath bright street lamps, their heels clicking against the pavement as they scuttled to the next bar or dance club. On the wrong side—his side—the...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Oct 16, 2015 | On Craft
5 1/2 years. That’s roughly how long I’ve been working on this novel. 6 years. That’s how long I’ve been trying to figure out writing and me and life. 2,138 days of recovering from PTSD, spilling my heart onto the paper, growing as a writer, editor and person, and...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Oct 7, 2015 | Behind the Scenes
Behind every good book is a cutting room floor littered with the carcasses of words, paragraphs and even whole chapters that didn’t work for your novel. In the writing world, we call it “killing your darlings.” At some point, no matter how much you...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Oct 2, 2015 | Writing Tools
I don’t know who gave it to us. Other writers, maybe? Unknowingly passing this virtual virus via tweets, blog posts and even books. Or maybe it’s the writing gremlins–the little monsters that like to crawl around inside your head and whisper that...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 16, 2013 | Beautiful Things
“Hello, my friend, hello Just [blogged] to let you know I think about you ev’ry night When I’m here alone And you’re there at home, hello ~ Neil Diamond, “Hello Again” As I write this I wonder if you still visit here. Do you still...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jun 6, 2013 | Beautiful Things, Broken Pieces, When Life Hurts
A close friend of mine shared the following thoughts with me after a discussion we had on abuse, shame, and our life experiences. It is easy to feel like a second class citizen when you discover your upbringing is so incredibly different than those around you....
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | May 24, 2013 | The Writing Life, Writing Tools
I. Love. Mind mapping! I probably learned this skill way back in elementary school–or maybe it was Jr. High?–for brainstorming. You know. Write your main idea in the center and circle it, add tangent lines for all the pieces connected to said idea, group...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | May 23, 2013 | Beautiful Things, Gratitude
Gratitude conjures for me thoughts of words expressed and notes written. It’s always saying thank you. It’s being aware of what I have and how lucky/blessed/privileged I might be. But this weekend, as I served lunch to low income/homeless members of my...
