Category Archives: Writing

Surgical Misstep

Posted on July 3, 2015 by John Swinburn

Camber Morton’s head rested on a cushioned metal circle, exposing the back side through the circle.  He fidgeted while the anesthesiologist adjusted the gadget affixed high up on the back side of his shaved head. A nurse had taped his eyes shut … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | 2 Comments

Protector

Posted on July 1, 2015 by John Swinburn

Hearing the door rattle, Little Darby Tiptoe lifted his head and sat perfectly still. When it rattled again and he heard the groan of the hook and eye latch, straining to hold the door shut, he sprang to his feet … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | 3 Comments

Still Endangered

Posted on June 30, 2015 by John Swinburn

With David’s foot tucked back safely in his flip-flop, it was Lisa’s turn to misbehave. She slipped the sandal off her right foot, reached under the table with her leg toward David’s leg, and brushed her foot lightly against the side … Continue reading →

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Endangered

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Swinburn

David’s habit of inelegant dress annoyed Lisa Benther. Shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops were fine for the beach but were entirely unsuitable for wearing to lunch. Yet, there he was, sitting across the table from her at Kangaroo, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | 3 Comments

Climbing

Posted on June 28, 2015 by John Swinburn

I left the house at 4:30 a.m., slipping into the dark garage as quietly as I could so as not to wake my daughter’s dog, Winchester. When Winchester is awakened before his natural time to shake off the night’s sleep, … Continue reading →

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And on other matters…

Posted on June 27, 2015 by John Swinburn

It seems one of my favorite phrases, “slogging through the porridge,” belongs only to me. I have used it only once in my blog (that I can find), but it escapes my lips in conversation not infrequently and it has … Continue reading →

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Growing into Something

Posted on June 25, 2015 by John Swinburn

As I was driving to Little Rock yesterday morning to take my wife in for a “pre-colonoscopy consult,”  I listened to a fascinating program on the Diane Rehm show on NPR. Diane and her guests were discussing a book, Everything … Continue reading →

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On Mood and Meaning and Waiting

Posted on June 24, 2015 by John Swinburn

This morning, I could write about a thousand ideas, but none of them seem sufficiently relevant to me to warrant the expenditure of enough energy to bring those thoughts to life. I start writing about something that’s mildly interesting to me, … Continue reading →

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Mind of a Writer

Posted on June 20, 2015 by John Swinburn

From ScreenwritingU.com

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Seeing

Posted on June 20, 2015 by John Swinburn

My first memory of my clairvoyance is from my early childhood. I was five years old when I sensed my father’s automobile accident.  As I sat at the dinner table with my mother and my little sister, I suddenly saw the windshield … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter to the Writer Within

Posted on June 19, 2015 by John Swinburn

Take a breath and write what’s buried deep down. Write what hurts most and has the greatest potential to destroy you. Reveal things you’ve never told another living soul. Commit to the page experiences you wish you’d never had. Tell of … Continue reading →

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Peeling Back the Veneer

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Swinburn

“Your writing is driven by your attitude of personal prestige, an air of disdain for others. It’s stuck in the middle of that unearned sense of superiority you so readily use to belittle the real emotions people feel. You’ve become … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | 2 Comments

The End of Writing Season

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Swinburn

Tonight is the final meeting of our local writers’ club for the “season.” We end the club year with dinner at an Italian restaurant.  The evening will begin with the food and then progress to a presentation by the managing … Continue reading →

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Set-Up Vignette

Posted on June 12, 2015 by John Swinburn

Epistolary love affairs didn’t have the same ferocity as those conducted in the flesh. At least that’s how Jeremiah Scotland saw it. He’d been involved in both and preferred the latter, as they were more satisfying, in the physical sense. Yet he … Continue reading →

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Dream Story

Posted on June 11, 2015 by John Swinburn

Another damn dream.  But this one might have opened up a channel to a plot for a novel.  I intended to write it down yesterday, when I awoke from the dream. But I did not. So I’ve lost some detail … Continue reading →

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Caramel Floods

Posted on June 9, 2015 by John Swinburn

Soft and thick like flash-cooled caramel, my thoughts creep along in slow motion, their hard edges dragged around obstacles that get in their way by the more pliable core within. Thinking is, at times, an exercise in  patience. When the mind … Continue reading →

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And The Winner Is…

Posted on June 6, 2015 by John Swinburn

Well, I read The Story of Steve during the read-around today. It got a few laughs.  That’s really all it’s good for, which is not a bad thing. Sometimes silly whimsy is just what the doctor ordered. After the banquet this … Continue reading →

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Contestables

Posted on June 6, 2015 by John Swinburn

A poem I wrote a few months ago, A Night on the Town, received 1st Honorable Mention in the Marie Barton Memorial Poetry Award contest at the Arkansas Writers’ Conference yesterday. At the moment, I don’t remember what the contest … Continue reading →

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Revealing What’s Underneath

Posted on June 3, 2015 by John Swinburn

You may not want to read this. Especially if you’re not on a high note at the moment. Sometimes, I just write stuff that can’t help but ruin a mood. There’s no question, I sometimes write some pretty strange stuff. The scenes … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Emotion, Just Thinking, Philosophy, Writing | 3 Comments

Face-to-Face Bloggery

Posted on June 2, 2015 by John Swinburn

Let’s see, now, I’ve met, face-to-face, several people through social media. Teresa. Robin and Roger. Tara. Juan. Kathy. Kathy. Cari.  Soon, I’ll meet another, Holly. In spite of my occasional rants about how social media tends to be a vacuum … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Friendship, Just Thinking, Writing | 1 Comment

Circles

Posted on June 1, 2015 by John Swinburn

My mind is skipping like a rock on a choppy pond; just one wave sends that stone plunging to the bottom.  I’ve been reading, here and there, about topics of interest, but I can’t keep my mind on what I’m reading long … Continue reading →

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Someone Else’s Tastes

Posted on May 30, 2015 by John Swinburn

Yesterday, I sat at the dining table, looking out at the trees swaying in the breeze and the ranch down below.  I was eating lunch, which consisted of a tin of smoked mackerel drizzled with Sriracha sauce and spears of cucumbers. I realized, … Continue reading →

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Bourbon and Onions

Posted on May 27, 2015 by John Swinburn

Can you imagine for even a moment that you are the victim of an angry, drunken policeman?  No?  Try again. Try again to imagine the policeman repeatedly slamming his club into your jaw, laughing with each stroke, and asking you a question: “You sure … Continue reading →

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Missing in Flight

Posted on May 26, 2015 by John Swinburn

  So, my latest idea for a short story involves a mystery surrounding a child’s travel from his father’s home in Chicago to his mother’s home in Los Angeles.  The kid boards the plane in Chicago and sends a text to … Continue reading →

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Singed

Posted on May 24, 2015 by John Swinburn

I’ve spent more than an hour and a half this morning, trying to write. When I first sat down to write, I zipped off my rumination for the day, “things worth remembering are worth writing.” Thereafter, though, nothing flowed from … Continue reading →

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