I try to work to a production schedule, which is what I call my daily and weekly output. This really is ‘living the dream’ for me, but it often feels overwhelming. I easily get lost in all the doors to choose from every morning, which is my creative time (I’ve added afternoons, just to stay on top of things and provide a break between them, when I generally eat something resembling a lunch, followed by a nap).

I have a printed out version of the graphic above broken into the days of the week, but I like the look of it so I’m sharing it here.

Somebody – Einstein, maybe? – said success was 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. I think that sourcing is dubious, but I agree with the premise. Getting what we want and where we want requires sustained effort over a very long haul. I’ve been writing for 55 years. I’ve been self-publishing for 15. I’ve had a website for 20. You get the picture.

If I didn’t love doing all this, I wouldn’t. But it fuels me. It also gives me a personal world that is a refuge from the spiraling madness of the greater world around me. If creativity is an escape, I’ll gladly pursue it. And a weekly schedule is at least a foundation, even if I veer off it pretty much every day.

From Chuck Wendig’s blog. He’s a best selling horror author who lives somewhere near Doylestown, PA.

“It’s never precisely easy to be a writer – professional or otherwise. I mean, it’s easy in the sense of, hey, anybody can open a word processor and start (fiercely or methodically) putting a story down on the page, one mad word at a time. But it’s also quite hard: you have to reckon with a difficult industry, a lack of respect and recognition from the non-writers in your life, a schedule that surely isn’t conducive, a dearth of proper places to actually sit down and make the words happen, and so forth. Writing always, always feels like an act that vacillates wildly between the Herculean and the Sisyphean – always difficult, sometimes triumphant, sometimes you’re pancaked by the boulder you’ve been shoving up the hill for days, weeks, months, years …

I want you to tell those stories. Your stories. The ones that matter most to you — not the ones that feed machines, not the ones that feed companies, but the ones that feed you, and by proxy, the audience beyond you.”

Chuck Wendig

Two years of workshops, one solid book

This was a goal of mine after two years of workshops: to consolidate them into one easy-to-read book. You can now get the ebook on Amazon ($8.95), various other online retaliers, or directly from me for a $2 discount ($6.96 – epub and PDF).

The paperback is avaiable on Amazon and IngramSpark.

About ‘Blank Page to Bookshelf’

Blank Page to Book Shelf: From First Sentence to First Sale: Fiction Writing, Character Creation, and Self-Publishing Basics brings together the core lessons from author and workshop instructor Mark McNease’s writing workshops, distilled into a single, accessible volume for aspiring and emerging writers.

Guiding readers from initial idea through character creation, plotting, revision, and self-publishing, the book emphasizes practical steps and realistic expectations. It demystifies both the creative process and the mechanics of self-publishing, helping writers move from concept to completed book.

Suitable for individual writers, writing groups, and creative workshops, this how-to guide blends craft instruction with actionable publishing guidance.

A clear, encouraging roadmap for turning a blank page into a finished book.

What a year it’s been. I’m heading into 2026 with four ongoing journaling groups, another set to start in January, and yet another I’m hoping to conduct at a senior living community in Doylestown, PA, soon into the new year. I’m also publishing Blank Page to Bookshelf: From First Draft to First Sale – Fiction Writing, Character Creation, and Self-Publishing Basics. It distills my three non-journaling workshops into a single easy to understand  how-to book, with a friendly but authoritative voice. Actually, you can, is my motto, and you can too.

As we end out 2025, there are so many things to be positive about, with our continued lives on this fascinating journey first among them. This was a very fulfilling year for me. I hope it was for you, too. Another one of my favorite sayings is that time is a non-renewable resource. Make the most of every last second of it.

See you in 2026!

I was so happy to help author Stacey Meadows publish Pine Melody: A Memoir, a masterfully written account of her son Jonah’s death in a car accident and her coming to terms with it that culminated in this extraordinary book.

The photos are from Stacey’s book reading, held in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Visit the website for Pine Melody

About Pine Melody

Swerving to avoid a deer on a dark Wisconsin highway in early summer, 22-year old Gabe lost control of the car. His 29 year- old brother, Jonah, singing along with him as he drove, absorbed the full force of the impact with an oncoming pick-up truck driven by the Chief of a First Nation. The crash left Jonah with severe traumatic brain injury, Gabe with a broken femur, and soil samples, meticulously gathered for Jonah’s graduate research project on agroforestry, strewn across the highway.

As general counsel for a Philadelphia medical center, I was competent enough to interact with my sons’ care teams, but lost all semblance of professionalism when neither my legal expertise, search for a medical miracle, nor tenacity of my love was able to bring benefit to Jonah, who lingered in a coma for three months, before dying in hospice. I was left to find a way to carry on for the sake of Jonah’s brothers while handling my own grief and helplessness.

Immersing myself in Jonah’s journals, and memories of his extraordinary, spirit-filled life, my pillars materialized—meditation, yoga, prayer and sailing. With Jonah as my spirit guide, in the bardo and beyond, I navigated pathways between terror and beauty that Jonah had spent his life seeking. Pine Melody is the result of my journey.

Pine Melody on IngramSpark
Pine Melody on Amazon

I started MadeMark Media over 15 years ago. It stepped into the background with my MadeMark Publishing imprint, but they’re both coming back full force in 2026. So exciting.

Two years in the making …

I’m writing the final draft of a book based on my workshops for the past nearly-two years: fiction writing essentials, character creation, and self-publishing. I love doing the workshops, and this is a natural outgrowth of that. One of the most rewarding things I learned the past couple years is how much I’ve learned in 50+ years of writing, 15 of self-publishing … it’s a natural progression for me to write this book, and a bit of a ‘what’s next?’ venture. We’re about to find out—what’s next for me, what’s next for this country, what’s next? It really is the question that kept me going through the rough times and difficult years, especially in my youth. I was determined to stick around not just to prove a point, but to find out what my life would look like after whatever crisis I was in had finally passed. I’m still asking myself that question, and I’m still excited to see what comes next.

Now free for subscribers

One Thing Or Another: Life, Aging, and the Absurdities Of It All (2nd Edition)

Welcome to the Second Edition of One Thing or Another, a collection of humor columns that takes a look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all. It’s been a few years since the first edition, and even more since they were written. The Big Six-Oh is now the Big Six-Seven, and life is just as absurd as it was the first go-round.

From our culture’s refusal to use the word ‘old,’ to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit, you’re sure to enjoy this skewed look at life’s foibles for the ages. Collected from the author’s personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.

Current subscribers will receive a link to download their complimentary copy.