Learning to write the hard—and joyful—way

I typed this impromptu blog post today on a manual Hermes 3000 typewriter, Swiss-made in the mid-1960s, with a sans-serif typeface called Epoca. What you see is a first pass, unchanged, straight from my brain to my fingers to the keys. When I read through it, I have the urge to tinker and fix, as I revise my novels many times before they’re published. But I feel it’s important to post this draft as is, typos and all, because it’s what human minds do without help from AI. We make a mess. And then we use our brains to reimagine and revise what we’ve written. This is all part of the creative process. It’s a life-long journey of learning and discovery.

The U.S. cover for HAUNTING JASMINE and the Italian cover, which translates to The Bookstore/Library of New Beginnings.

Mystery at Crane’s Corner, written when I was about ten (?) years old (cover art and first paragraph), and the beginning of another story I wrote at around age twelve or thirteen.