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News & Reviews -- click here to see movie/book reviews and random news

Announcements
My First Contest Win -- winning 2nd in the 2013 Actuarial Speculative Fiction Contest
A Quiet Celebration -- sharing the news about winning in 2013
Writers of the Future -- Honorable Mention 4Q2017

On Writing
My First Blog Post--Ever
Bookmarks Festival 2010 
My First Set of Rejection Letters
My First Agent Rejection Letter
Where to Get Business Cards
My Business Card
Aspiring Writer's Spectrum of Success 
Christmas Shopping -- Sometimes you just have to take a break.
What I Got for Christmas -- A couple of fun gifts good for writers.
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2011--Preview
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2011--Overview of Stories
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2011--Losing the Contest
Writers and Taxes: Schedule C and Form 4562
Writers Publishing Group at Press 53 -- My first meeting with local writers.
Writing Class at Press 53 -- The first day really hurts.
Critique Group at Press 53
Author/Member Dinner and Soiree at Press 53
Keeping Track of Submissions
Top Ten SFF Books of the Decade
Marjorie Hudson Reads at Barnhill
Twitter Fiction -- Stories in 140 characters or less.
Google's Ngram Viewer -- a way to measure word frequency throughout time.
Writing Excuses - A Podcast
Write 1 Sub 1
Write 1 Sub 1 - September 2011 Report
Write 1 Sub 1 - January and February 2012
Write 1 Sub 1 - March 2012
Write 1 Sub 1 - August 2012
NPR Top 100 SFF Titles - Vote Now
NPR Top 100 SFF Titles - Results
Facebook Fan Pages
It Sucks to Be an Aspiring Writer
Don't Limit Your Audience?
Am I Aiming Too High?
Rejected by Boot Camp 2012
What do you do with markets that don't send rejections?
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2013--Preview
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2013--Overview of Stories
When Good Guys Go Bad
The 80-20 Principle
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2015--Preview
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2015--Overview of Stories
What Me Lazy?
One Space or Two?
Struggling to Get Critiques
Actuarial Speculative Fiction 2017--Preview

Balancing with the Day Job
The Day Job -- How to juggle your dreams and your day job before you die.

Self Publishing
Writing Bad -- when I first consider delving into the realm of Self Publishing.

NaNoWriMo 2010
NaNoWriMo Invitation 2010
Preparing for NaNoWriMo 2010
Week #1 of NaNoWriMo 2010
Week #2 of NaNoWriMo 2010
Week #3 of NaNoWriMo 2010
Winner--NaNoWriMo 2010

NaNoWriMo 2012
Week #1 of NaNoWriMo 2012

NaNoWriMo 2014
It Begins
Recovering From Disaster
Halfway Mark
One Week Left
Winner - 2014

NC Writers' Network Fall Conference 2010
Should I Attend?
One Day or Whole Weekend?
Should I Pay to See an Agent?
Do I Need an Agent?
Registering for Conference
Approaching Agents at Conferences
Agent: Daniel Lazar - Preview
Final Preparations
Day After Report
Report: Meeting an Agent
Report: Who Was There--Part 1 -- The general crowd, and who was missing.
Report: Who Was There--Part 2 -- The people running the booths/exhibits.
Report: Who Was There--Part 3 -- Other individuals I met (not in the booths).
Workshop Report: Promoting Yourself
Workshop Report: Critique Groups
Workshop Report: Building a Website

NC Writers' Network Spring Conference 2011
Conference Report & Meeting Ed Schubert

Plans and Progress
Progress--9/2010 (includes some writing samples)
Goals--9/2010
Year in Review--2010
Year Preview--2011
Year in Review--2011
Year Preview--2012 
Year in Review--2012
Year Preview--2013 
Year in Review--2013
Year Preview--2014
Year in Review--2014
Year Preview--2015
Year in Review--2015
Year Preview--2016
Checkpoints--2016: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
Year in Review--2016
Year Preview--2017
Checkpoints--2017: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
Year in Review--2017
Goals--2018
Checkpoints--2018: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
Goals--2019
Checkpoints--2019: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
Year in Review--2019
Year in Review--2021

Random Vignettes
Alphabetical Discrimination -- a conspiracy theory in which all "W"s are screwed in life.
Father's Day Humor -- My son tries to get me into trouble.
Fixing Social Security - The Private Lockbox -- Melvyn for President!
Fun at Tab Williams -- a story about volunteering at an adult day care center.
I Thought Macs Were Supposed to be Cool -- When Macs go bad, they go BAD.
My iMac Died -- And I still buy another Mac!
Buying an iMac -- It's like ordering a Big Mac.
Why Did My iMac Die?
Restoring a Mac and PC (XP)
XP Doesn't Run on New iMacs
VirtualBox vs. Boot Camp
Joplin: Analysis of a Disaster -- a closer look at twenty people trapped in a cooler during a tornado.
Merry Christmas, Santa Claus -- A family tradition party story.
National Depression Screening Day -- A perfect day for writers to celebrate.  yay.
The Scam, Part 1 -- Somebody calls me and asks for my birthday.
The Scam, Part 2 -- Includes transcript of my attempt to cancel.
This Time Only Comes Once -- Enjoy today while it lasts.
Tribute to My Father -- I got my stuff from somewhere.
Spock's Space Flare -- Putting in your all and hoping for the best.
What's an IRC? -- A true and funny story about trying to send a submission to Canada.
Who Is Melvyn Windham?
Melvyn Windham: Runner
Mel-o-rama Now on Twitter  
Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral
VOCE: Christmas Concert 2011
The 3D Movie Scam
Eleven Questions
Blind Story Chains - a Game
Brush With Death on I-77S Mile Marker 26
Political Games - Politricks and Sorry: Democrat Edition
Christmas 2012: We Three Kings video
200,000 Views on Youtube
Mister Six Digits
Pick Me!  Pick Me!
And the Band Played On
Replacing Google Reader - Part 1
YouTube Linking Problems (Google)
Midnight Showing Logic Gone Bad
Copyright Wars -- Candy Crush
Firefox and Intolerance
Christmas: All About the Money?
The Google Earth Plane Game
Global Warming: Bill Nye vs. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Journal of an Eclipse - 2017
How Multiple World Time Travel Works
Is Purple Really Not in the Rainbow?
Flat Earthers and the Coronavirus

Writing Samples
Opening Excerpt from "The Silver Lining" -- Angels interacting with humans.