Category Archives: Writing

Talking to Myself

Posted on January 4, 2015 by John Swinburn

Some mornings, as I sit at my computer composing a post, I don’t write what’s on my mind at the moment.  Instead, I compose words that suit the mood I’d like to be in.  Or I attempt to use words … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Writing | 2 Comments

It’s the Write Thing to Do

Posted on December 27, 2014 by John Swinburn

I’ve been awake for several hours, but the usual routine of writing just after I got up eluded me.  Even the basic stuff like the thoughts for the day seemed akin to pushing a boulder up a long, wet, mud … Continue reading →

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Arising from Madness

Posted on December 25, 2014 by John Swinburn

Private thoughts that cannot be—must not be, can never be—public. Hidden longings that one dare not reveal. Throbbing desire that racks the brain and the body, concealed beneath a diaphanous facade of  self-control. Barely restrained joy at something as simple as … Continue reading →

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Missing in Action

Posted on December 16, 2014 by John Swinburn

So many things can get lost in the hum of daily life.  I realized this morning I have lost touch with another blogger I never actually knew; never communicated with him directly, to my recollection.  Instead, I read  his posts … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Writing | Leave a comment

Thinking on It

Posted on December 12, 2014 by John Swinburn

I cannot not read minds, though I sometimes wish I could. And there are times I wish I were an open book, as easy to read as an engrossing novel; it would be easier than to risk saying, openly, what’s on my mind. … Continue reading →

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Carpe…

Posted on November 28, 2014 by John Swinburn

A recurring theme in my brain concerns the potential, or lack thereof, to truly understand one’s “real” personality.  That’s the one that lives in the core of the mind, the one uncluttered by years of acceding to the expectations of others, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Writing | Leave a comment

Your Eyes

Posted on November 8, 2014 by John Swinburn

Your eyes betray you.  They say more than your words, more than your gestures, more than the way you shrug your shoulders.  They speak a language that eludes you.  They are fluent in divulging secrets you hoped to obscure. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom, Writing | 2 Comments

Do Not Wait for the Muse

Posted on October 28, 2014 by John Swinburn

Yesterday’s writers’ club presentation by poet and educator Sandy Longhorn was interesting and informative.  Though writing poetry is something I do rarely, her advice applies to anything I might write. First, before writing, she says: Read. Study.  Only then write … Continue reading →

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Post-Birthday Assessment

Posted on October 22, 2014 by John Swinburn

Last night’s birthday dinner was not the Bar-B-Q of my wishes, but I wore shorts and a t-shirt as we sat, dining alfresco, enjoying the Tuesday night special of liver and onions at Tanner’s Terrace on the Green, overlooking the Granada Golf Course. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Religion, Writing | 3 Comments

Things to Do

Posted on October 13, 2014 by John Swinburn

I’m posting two items early…Thoughts for the Day and this post…for October 14.  I have things to do and places to be in the morrow.  Though I expect to be up as early as usual, I may allow myself to … Continue reading →

Posted in Time, Tools, Writing | Leave a comment

Asking Too Much

Posted on October 10, 2014 by John Swinburn

Next Thursday afternoon, the members of my writers’ club critique group will meet to discuss one anothers’ submissions for the month.  We meet each month to seek advice about and reactions to something we’ve written.  I would prefer a much more … Continue reading →

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Temporary Stalking Behavior

Posted on October 7, 2014 by John Swinburn

Occasionally, I sit to the side in a place where crowds of people come and go and I watch them, looking for that one person in the throng who catches my attention.  I never know why he or she catches my eye; it … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Writing | 2 Comments

Starving Artists and Other Crimes

Posted on October 3, 2014 by John Swinburn

I love words—the way they work together to express thoughts. But they can work together with context to form thoughts, too.  The title of this post, for example.  If I had been clever, I could have called this post a how-to guide, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Language, Writing | Leave a comment

Unrestrained and Untrained Creative Deviance

Posted on September 27, 2014 by John Swinburn

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I started thinking about mermaids the other day.  Maybe it was the sculpture of a mermaid I saw a few years ago in a little Mexican coastal town.  Or maybe it was a neural misfire, … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Writing | Leave a comment

Flights of Fancy

Posted on September 14, 2014 by John Swinburn

Some days, thousands of thoughts flood my brain.  On those days, my creativity seems to be bubbling over, my mind racing in high gear.  On those days, it’s hard to concentrate on any one thing because there’s just so much … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Writing | Leave a comment

Write a little…finish less

Posted on September 13, 2014 by John Swinburn

As I wade through masses of stuff I’ve written over the years, I come across detritus that tells more about my moods and mental state at the time I wrote it than anything else.  But that may be what writing is, ultimately.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Writing | Leave a comment

Fascicles

Posted on September 9, 2014 by John Swinburn

Fascicle. I do not recall whether I’d heard the word before.  If I had, I certainly had never used it. But there it was, perhaps the best descriptor for what I’d been contemplating creating. I stumbled upon the word not while searching … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 2 Comments

Up in Flames?

Posted on August 26, 2014 by John Swinburn

I remember it like it was yesterday.  But it wasn’t yesterday.  It was probably forty-five years ago.  That would have made me fifteen or sixteen years old. No, now that I think of it, I may have been younger, maybe thirteen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Writing | Leave a comment

A Solution Looking for a Problem

Posted on August 23, 2014 by John Swinburn

Since joining the local writers’ club, I’ve all but stopped posting the occasional pieces of fiction here.  The reason: I’ve been warned that most short-story contests and their cousins do not accept previously published work.  That includes work published online on one’s own … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

Old World Classics

Posted on July 26, 2014 by John Swinburn

We’re having friends over tonight for dinner, the only people here we know well…she used to work for me, years ago.  We’re having seared scallops over spinach and risotto, with steamed asparagus on the side.  Before dinner, we’ll have drinks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Food, Friendship, Writing | 2 Comments

Limited Productivity

Posted on July 8, 2014 by John Swinburn

Lest anyone think I have abandoned writing (which I would understand, given the limited number of posts here of late), let me dispel such thoughts.  I have not abandoned writing; I have only decided not to post so much here.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 2 Comments

Words

Posted on June 19, 2014 by John Swinburn

In the process of sorting through masses of paper during the course of our move from Dallas to Hot Springs Village, I came across some interesting historical materials.  I found copies of articles (the “executive director’s messages”) I wrote for … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Writing | Leave a comment

The Genesis of the Future

Posted on May 27, 2014 by John Swinburn

Writers…fiction, nonfiction, and science fiction…have an exceptional history of talking and writing about things that, at the time, sound implausible…the stuff of fiction…but later become reality. Some examples: Person Prediction H.G. Wells Atomic bombs Arthur C. Clarke Online newspapers Aldous … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Politics, Writing | Leave a comment

Tired of Writing

Posted on January 21, 2014 by John Swinburn

I’m tired of writing, though my output of late has not been particularly impressive. I think I’ll take a break again…yes, again.  I’ll continue my Thoughts for the Day every day, as long as there are thoughts to record, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

You Deserve a Break Today

Posted on January 8, 2014 by John Swinburn

Everyone deserves a break. I deserve a break from my self-imposed insistence that I write something every day. Well, I must continue to do my “Thoughts for the Day,” but I deserve a break from writing my “regular” posts. So, … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-discipline, Writing | 4 Comments