So… It turns out, contrary to popular opinion, that I’m human after all. There is an author, whom I will not name in this post, who penned a 7-book series, a 2-part stage play, and at least three supplemental pieces for the world those characters inhabit. The empire built on this intellectual property is immense,… Continue reading VIOLATING MY OWN ETHICAL BELIEFS
ME… ONLY NOT
There is a contentious thing happening in the writing world here in 2026. I’ve touched on it a few times here. It’s all over publishing newsletters and podcasts. And if you happen to be a Draft2Digital user, you know it has caused them to introduce fees for the first time in their history. AI is… Continue reading ME… ONLY NOT
WEIRDLY SPECIFIC SPAM
Hello, hoopy froods of the internet! It is I, the Random Writer™… also from the internet, bringing you all the news that doesn’t actually exist. Yeah, I lead a boring life. Don’t tell anyone. For this month’s topic, I wanted to bring up a strange phenomenon that’s been happening lately. Apparently a spambot or twelve… Continue reading WEIRDLY SPECIFIC SPAM
NO NEWS IS NO NEWS
This has been a fairly calm and “nothing really going on” kind of month. And, since nothing has really managed to reach out and grab my face as a topic, I’m afraid I have to leave you with no main topic this month. Don’t worry, though! There’s still stuff to talk about. It’s just that… Continue reading NO NEWS IS NO NEWS
THE WRITING PROCESS
Happy… I guess by the time this posts it will be February, but (full disclosure) I’m writing this about two weeks ahead of that. I’m currently in the biweekly Gaming Groupies Writers’ Club session with the person I said I needed to pseudonym going forward. (He’s asked that I refer to him as Kalen in… Continue reading THE WRITING PROCESS
GOALS ARE BACK
Happy New Year, imaginary people of the internet! Last year, I did not make a 2025 goals post. I did not recap how badly I failed in my 2024 goals. (It was bad, actually. I failed NaNoWriMo for the first — and last — time ever due to waking up blind. And because I had… Continue reading GOALS ARE BACK
THE LONG ROAD TO RESTORING VISION
So it’s been another minute or two since we last had a chance to catch up. A few things have happened in that time. Some amazing. Some not so much. Here’s the short version: On October 21, 2025, I had surgery on my right eye. As late as November, I still had a little residual… Continue reading THE LONG ROAD TO RESTORING VISION
WE’RE BACK, GLITCHES!
Hey there. You may not remember me. My name is (not actually) Darren Blake. I’m a random writer from the internet who tries to entertain, inform, educate, and just make a general mockery of the writing life. And I’ve been gone. Like, for a while. As you may or may not remember, if you are… Continue reading WE’RE BACK, GLITCHES!
FEAR AND EXPECTATION
Six years ago, when I published Seeing Red, I had zero fear and zero expectation. I wanted to give this “self publishing” thing a try, but I kept my personal stakes low. Based on all my other forays into “the public eye,” having high hopes would lead to massive disappointment. (In the misspent youth of… Continue reading FEAR AND EXPECTATION
TO BE OR NOT TO BE… A WRITER
I have this internal thing where I think I’m a writer one day, and the very next… nope. Not me. Not a writer. Anyone who has ever read one of my books likely wants to know in what universe I could ever think I’m a writer. That’s fair. Mean, but fair. This weekend as I… Continue reading TO BE OR NOT TO BE… A WRITER