Anatomy Of A Cliffhanger / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-Dec-2025

My wife and I watch a lot of movies and shows as we wind down each night (if we're not playing games, of course).

Most shows, obviously, if done well, have scene breaks that leave you hanging . . . wanting to stay until the scene returns.  In some cases of the old TV cable days, it would be a commercial break.  Not for us.  We severed the TV cable a few years ago and have not regretted it.  At this point in the show, I usually point at the TV and say, "Cliffhanger."

My wife has now caught on to what a cliffhanger does--not that she didn't know before, and more than likely did except maybe didn't quite know the word for it, but being married to a writer, I'm prone to this type of thinking of how a story is set up.

Whether your story is in written or visual form, cliffhangers are set up to . . . well, leave you hanging, wanting to either keep reading or watching.

Check out your favorite movies or books, and see if you can spot the cliffhangers.  More than likely, now that you know what to look for, they'll be easy to spot.

Another Great Moment / Happenings In The Outhouse 06-Dec-2024

As if 2024 couldn't be more awesome and incredible!

The year started with my wife and I getting married in January.  Then, the long process of me adopting her youngest daughter Madison was finalized on Monday.

What a great year 2024 has turned out to be!

Moving Forward / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-July-2024

This will be another short one.

Last weekend, my wife and I had our wedding reception, open to the public.  It was a fun time seeing family and friends, and some I have not seen in a long, long time.

Now it's back to writing.

Still working on my fun short story, and I have just backed a Kickstarter that will allow me to submit new stories to another market that isn't normally open.  I'm optimistic that my chances of landing a coveted spot are extremely low, but it's the feedback I'm looking for mostly.

Of course, publication would be amazing too.  Overall, just looking to be a much better writer.

Not Getting Your Hopes Up / Happenings In The Outhouse 14-June-2024

There are lessons to be learned with most everything that doesn't go right--and lessons even when it does.

This past weekend, my wife and I and three young girls went to the Twin Cities, leaving earlier than the chickens Saturday morning and coming back Sunday.  The reason for the quick trip was that her youngest child told us about a meet and greet by two paranormal YouTubers, who were also promoting their clothing line at a store in the Mall of America.

My wife and I knew the girls shouldn't get their hopes up about meeting them.  Even though we were arriving at the MOA hours ahead of time, the chances of her and her two friends getting a place in line were slim.

It turns out they never had a chance to meet them because there were close to 4,000 people already in line and the store cut off the number as they found the end to it.

I try to maintain a positive attitude and a positive outlook on life in general, so we made the best of the time we were down there and went to a water park instead.  Got a little burned, but it was relaxing.

What's the lesson?  You don't always get what you want and it's a good thing to not get your hopes up.

Cleaning House / Happenings In The Outhouse 17-May-2024

For the past month and a half, my wife and I have been cleaning out the basement.  Getting rid of old stuff that should've been thrown out long ago and organizing the rest for a more comfortable living space.

One of these areas is an office room.  I used to do the majority of my writing in that room, until circumstances with my late wife made it so I had to do it upstairs.

I have still been writing.  Right now, I'm in the beginning of a new tale, one that I have had the bones of in the back of my mind.  I'm at a point where I don't know where to go, but that's okay.  I'll brainstorm my way of out it, like I do all my other stories that I have gotten stuck in.

Four Years And Four Days

Four years and four days ago, I lost my first wife after a long debilitating illness.  It took me a year and a half to get the courage to try my hand at dating again (the pandemic certainly didn't help).  I didn't know if that's what God's plan was--and I was prepared either way.

I prayed long and hard, and wouldn't you know it, God gave me another chance at love.

Today, after a very short engagement, I will once again marry my best friend, my most trusted confidante, my true love.

I love you, Melissa!  Thank you for making my life great again, as we build a life together!

Shake It Off / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-April-2023

You find yourself tossed into the bottom of a well.  Then, shovelful after shovelful of dirt is thrown in.  You are trapped.  What do you do?  Let yourself be buried?  Or use the dirt to rise yourself out of the hole?

In other words, shake it off.

From time to time, things will happen that will throw you off your game.  It happens to everyone.  Shake it off and move on.  Figure out a solution instead of just complaining that nothing can be done.  I heard someone say once, "If you bring me a dead cat, you better bring me a shovel."  In other words, bring a plan for your situation.

When my late wife was diagnosed with leukemia back in April 2011, it would've been easy for me to throw in the towel and say I quit!  But I didn't.  I double-downed on my writing.  When her illness progressed over the years from the side effects of her transplant, I will admit that I had some dark days.  Then, in early 2018, I turned everything over to God.

I did put things in God's hands many times over the years, but for whatever reason that was a turning point for me.  When her illness took a massive turn for the worst in May 2019, leading to eventual passing in January 2020, I did take a step back a bit.  I still wrote, but not as much as before.  I took small steps.  I knew when my head wasn't in the right place.  So I'd take a small break and either watch a show or read.  When I was able to join the local gym, I took solace in improving my overall health.

I looked for solutions.

I shook off things, and moved onward.

Life is never easy.  But it's how you react to it that matters.

Planning For The Future / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-March-2023

Ironically, today is my late wife's birthday.  She would've been 51.

A few weeks ago, I read a blog post by Dean Wesley Smith on estate planning.  It is well-written and thought provoking, for sure.  Please take the time to read it, save it, and come back to it time and again.

It is selfish not to plan for the future, not to plan for your eventual demise.  It warms my heart to think about the words I'm publishing today producing fruit for my children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren and beyond for others to enjoy.

Do not put this off until tomorrow.  Do it today.

And do not--and I stress do not--instruct others to throw away your writing.  I can't think of a more idiotic way of disposing of your hard work.

If you don't know, there is a world of knowledge right at your fingertips.  Use Dean's post as a starting point.

Companionship Advantage / Happenings In The Outhouse 09-Dec-2022

They say two heads are better than one.

But what if you are a solo artist/author?

Many artists do, indeed, work alone.  But if you can have a companion (i.e. spouse) who supports what you are doing, more than better.  I could be wrong on this, but I do believe that is how Dean Koontz got his start, that his wife worked full-time so he could write.  She gave him a five-year deadline to become a published author.  If he did, then they'd be set.  As you can see, he has accomplished that and much, much more.  There are other stories of supportive spouses from authors like Stephen King too.

My late wife was always supportive of my writing--not quite sure why, to be brutally honest.  In our twenty-two and a half years of marriage, she heard a lot about it and knew I was writing, but never broke into the bestselling list.

My girlfriend is just as supportive and even loves to do her own schoolwork (she's an RN working on her BSN degree) while I write.  When she leaves for work early in the morning, I'm always up with her, plugging away on my computer.

Other authors do not seem to have this type of relationship.  J. K. Rowling and J. D. Salinger are just two authors I can name who got published without a companion by their side supporting them.

Does it help?  I sure think so.

Make Change A Habit / Happenings In The Outhouse 18-March-2022

Life is full of changes.

When my late wife got her cancer diagnosis in April 2011, it turned our world upside-down.  Life was an endless series of doctors appointments, trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (a 382 mile trip, one way), and the extra financial burden on top of it.  And then it was juggling events with three young kids.  Upon her return home in December 2011, what we could do seemed limited.

In March 2020, a virus took the world by storm, changing the way business was done.  My employer implemented a work-from-home model, something completely unheard of from them until that point.  Now, two years later, my employer is having the working from home folks return to the office on a hybrid model basis, part at home and part in the office.  Changes.  Many changes and unknowns.  A number of people were not happy about it, but, when you examine it closely, it depends largely on how you handle change.

In June 2020, I joined the local gym.  I had wanted to join for quite some time, but I could not afford it in terms of time and money prior to that point.  Now, I go there 5-6 times a week on average, and I love it.  It's a way of me getting out of the house and doing something to physically improve my health.

Most times, I am alone and can plan my workouts ahead of time.  But when I have something in mind, let's say I had a weights day previously and planned on a strict cardio day on the treadmill, and all of a sudden there are people in the gym and all of the treadmills are taken, what do I do?  I change my plans.

I have made change a habit.  Yes, my first reaction on change is a slight WTF moment, but it quickly subsides.

I urge you to make change a habit.  If you do the same thing all the time, you don't grow as a person.  Change is what makes us better.

Pushing Out The Deadline / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-Jan-2022

I was going to title this blog post What the heck happened to January? but decided against it.

As I near the end of January 2022, surpassed the two-year anniversary of my wife's passing, and celebrating my new life with my next love, I am realizing that I will not achieve publication of my work-in-progress by the end of March as I had previously hoped.

I am near the 84,000 word mark, and am still in part three--the novel is in four parts, so yeah . . . math.  One long book.

End of June, perhaps?

What A Year / Happenings In The Outhouse 31-Dec-2021

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe all that has happened in my life--especially in the last six months, and especially since July 20th.

But first, let's recap my current writing inventory as of this date.

I have 37 individual published works, which consist of:

11 full-length novels, which includes a romance one written under a pseudonym (and working on #12)

14 short stories (2 of which are free on my website)

7 novellas/novelettes

1 short story collection

2 box sets

2 nonfiction books

This year I published two short stories and I am roughly 65-70% of the way through my current novel, which is going to be longer than any novel I have published so far.

Now, what happened on July 20th?

First, let me back up about a month, on what would have been the 24th wedding anniversary with my late wife.  I made the decision to dip my toes in the dating pool.  I didn't know if I could handle it, and I didn't know what I'd find.  If all I could find were toxic women, I guess I would remain single for the rest of my life.

And if that was God's plan for me, I would accept it.

But God had other plans.  Oh, boy, did He ever.

Long story short, I am in a few private widow/widower groups on Facebook.  Now, living in the land of nowhere in northwestern Minnesota, I thought my chances of meeting anyone near me was almost impossible.  Well, nothing is impossible for God.

I started chatting with a younger lady, a widow who had lost her husband in March 2021, who lived in northern Minnesota.  151 miles away, to be exact.  We chatted for a bit that day, July 20th, as she told me about her dire tales of going through the Facebook dating app.

Lo and behold, on July 23rd, she asked me how my week had been.  One thing led to another, and we have been chatting/talking every single day since.  We meet every 2-3 weeks, as she is in the final semester of achieving her RN degree.

So to say what a year 2021 it has been is an understatement.

I am looking forward to 2022, and all that it will bring.

Pay attention to what you are neglecting / Happenings In The Outhouse 30-July-2021

Focusing your energy on one thing is good.

But if it means neglecting essential aspects of your life, the results can be harmful.  Even fatal.

When my late wife's health was failing, it was easy to just focus on her.  I mean, come on, she was worth it!  But if I neglected my own health, mentally and physically, the harmful effects wouldn't do the rest of my family or I any good.

It isn't selfish to put some of your essential needs ahead of someone else's.  Even Jesus, who gave all that He could for the people, including His life, went off alone quite often to reflect, pray, and rest.

A few weeks ago, I came to the hard decision to shift some of my energy from writing to cleaning up my yard--don't worry, I still write in the mornings.  I had meant to keep up with the yard work, and years of utter neglect showed, but it was the hard determination to just go ahead and do it that jarred it loose.  I gathered the tools I needed, bought ones that I did not own, and dedicated time each and every night to the task at hand.  It's not done, but it looks a heck of a lot better than before.

You see, through all the years of focusing my time and energy on my late wife, caring and loving her, these aspects of the family suffered.  This included my health.  Last June I joined a gym.  I needed to improve my health.  Weight loss was a must.

Exercise quickly became a daily habit.

Because I wanted to improve.

Because I wanted to serve others in a better capacity.

And to love?  Possibly the same kind of love I showed my sweet, precious angel, who let go of my hand on January 16, 2020, at 10:15am and grabbed the mighty hand of Jesus as He took her into Heaven?

I . . . I think so.

Am I ready?

That, my friend, I don't know.

But I'm willing to try.

20,000 Words And Counting / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-July-2021

My current work in progress is coming along nicely.  I've gotten through a few emotional hurdles lately in regards to my late wife and what would've been our 24th wedding anniversary.

But now, back to business.

As I do every three months, I review my "next five things."  Which are five things for me to accomplish on my to-do list this quarter.  I figure if I write 1000 words daily, I'll be able to finish this book by the end of the quarter--if not before.

So, that is my challenge: to write 1000 words daily and finish my current work in progress.

Progress / Happenings In The Outhouse 7-May-2021

I am making tremendous progress on my "new" work-in-progress.

Now, I put new under quotes for a reason.  It's not a new story.  It's a story I first wrote back in college, when my late wife and I were dating.  So, yeah, well over two decades old--we were married for twenty-two and a half years before her passing.  But what's new is what I'm doing with it.

I'm using the old story as an outline.

I did this with a fantasy novel a few years ago, before moving on to another project--don't worry, I'll pick it back up again.  So far, I'm making great progress.

I know, I know, I have written about my dislike toward outlining before.  So I'm revising my thoughts toward outlining.  For me, for the most part, outlining is a waste of time.  But now, and a few times in the past, when I've hit a bit of a block, getting thoughts down on paper has helped dislodge the block.

I'm currently at the 6,300 word mark.  It'll be interesting how soon I can get this one published.

Wish me luck!

Imperfection Written In Stone / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-March-2021

I'm taking a slight diversion today as I am continuing the final edits to my latest work in progress.

Last weekend, I visited my wife's gravesite.  I've done this many times, and once we got the headstone last summer I had solar lights set up to see it at night.  It's a beautiful sight.

Anyway, I've read the words on the front and back many times before, but this time I spotted something different.  A typo.

In the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, starting at verse 4 it reads: "Love is patient . . ."  Well, on the headstone, it reads: "Love is paitient . . ."  It was at that moment that I could feel my wife's arm looping through mine, as she did numerous times before her passing.  I chuckled, and I'm positive she did too.  You see, in life we're striving so hard to be perfect, even though it's a feat we can never achieve.  Only one who has ever walked this earth has ever been perfect, and that is the Son of Man, Christ Jesus Himself.  Not even the likes of Billy Graham or Mother Teresa could ever achieve perfection.

But there it was, an imperfection written forever in stone.  In life, there are so many issues that are much bigger and more important than a simple typo.  The typo will act as a reminder not to take trivial issues like that too seriously, that we as humankind should strive to be as best as we can to one another.

I did look at the correspondence between myself and the funeral home last year and, sure enough, I approved the headstone--typo and all.  Oh, well.  My bad.

Grief And Creativity / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Jan-2021

Throughout 2020, so many people rallied about how much 2020 sucked.  I'm not disagreeing with them.  But as I've stated before, this seems to be the theme every single year.  So stop calling 2020 a dumpster fire--your mindset is a dumpster fire.  You just need to put out the fire.  True, 2020 had some troubling moments with the pandemic and all, but we've rallied before and won.  Keep your heart where it's supposed to be.

That being said, I want to discuss creativity and grief.  More specifically when it comes to the creative process, but it can also bleed over into other areas of your life too.  I've touched on this before, last year.  Here is a blog post from last year.

I am a huge fan of Weird Al Yankovic, and have been since I was a kid.  So when the opportunity came for me to see him in concert, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium, on April 12, 2004, I jumped at the chance.  But something tragic happened on April 9: Weird Al's parents died in an accidental carbon monoxide incident at their home.

My heart went out to him as I knew my hopes of seeing him live were dashed.  But much to my surprise, the show went on.  He did a beautiful tribute to them in the middle of the concert.  It was an amazing show.

Years later, I read about how he dealt with his parents sudden passing.  Instead of cancelling any shows, including the night it happened, he went on.  And I must say, if there was any misstep in his performance, I certainly didn't see it.  The show was incredible.

Grief can take a toll on creativity.  I've been there, got the T-shirt, and then some.

Any form of stress can take a toll on creativity.  Not denying that.  But there are times when your creativity is the perfect outlet to help you along.  And if you can't, that's okay too.  Take a break.  Focus on something else for a while.

It's okay to grieve.  There is no timeline on it.

Not now doesn't mean not ever / Happenings In The Outhouse 22-Jan-2021

Prior to my wife's passing in January 2020, I started to say no to a lot of things.  I could have had a to-do list a mile long when it comes to writing, but at the end of the day I knew they weren't going to be done.  I then had a not-to-do list.

Also, in 2019, I started at leave three novels and stopped.  At the moment.  I'll get back to them, but at the moment I wasn't in the right mindset.

Saying "not now" doesn't mean that you'll never get to them.  You're just delaying doing it.  No sense having so many things on your to-do list that you get bogged down.

Manage your time well by creating a list of things that are important.  If I look ahead and see troubles with doing something, I'll put them off.  Remember, putting them off for now doesn't mean that you'll never get to them.  You will.

One Year In The Books / Happenings In The Outhouse 15-Jan-2021

One year ago today was the last full day of my sweetheart's life on earth.

The details are something I'll wait to write about, but even to this day I remember so many events that led up to my being called at work, my leaving, the texts with loved ones, and so on.

It was a difficult day.

But, unfortunately, not unexpected.

Tomorrow, of course, will be the anniversary of her passing.

These are all memories that I cherish.  Not to dwell on in doom and gloom, but to honor our time together.

Baby steps / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Dec-2020

Looking back on the past two years, my writing output has been minimal.  I started a fantasy epic in early 2019, only to set it off to the side to work on a YA novel.  About a dozen chapters into that one, I also set it off to the side.

Needless to say, I had things on my mind.  I can usually separate my work life and personal life, and even separate it all from my writing life, but with the end of my late wife's life coming to an evitable end, I can look back now--gives it a whole new meaning to hindsight is 20/20, huh?--and say it all was wearing on me.

These past six months or so, I've been slowly getting back on the horse.  Baby steps.  I have a small set of weekly goals, and it has given me the courage to go forth and conquer.  Albeit on a small scale.  Baby steps.

How does one eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

How does one write a novel?  One page at a time.  One sentence at a time.  One word at a time.

If you find yourself overwhelmed, take a step back and do some small tasks.  One at a time.  Baby steps.

In the end, you'll get there.  Trust me: been there, got the T-shirt.