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

SHOTS NOT TAKEN

There is a saying. I believe it was originally some kind of sportsball quote but has been paraphrased to death. I hear it all the time lately, because it is a lyric in a song that’s on one of my “frequently listened” playlists. I’ve even looked up the quote for the purpose of this blog… Continue reading SHOTS NOT TAKEN

EYES AND EARS: A PERSONAL SAGA

Welcome to the roller coaster that is life. If you’re just joining us, sorry for the crap show. It was like this even before I got here. And the people in charge are just making it worse and worse. There have been some developments in both my public and personal worlds, interestingly represented by eyes… Continue reading EYES AND EARS: A PERSONAL SAGA

THE 2024 GOAL THINGY

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Another year, another entry about writing goals. The thing I try to keep in mind when doing these is that, although officially I am running a business, this is very much still a hobby to me. When a hobby isn’t fun, I put it off, and the more pressure I put on myself to get… Continue reading THE 2024 GOAL THINGY