Lately, I've been taking another crack at Excluded before it re-releases (hopefully) by the end of this year. By another crack I mean editing and redrafting a bit, by which I mean a chore I try to put off a little more often than I'd care to admit.

​Sometimes my excuses are quite wild; sometimes I blame another book. 

That's the case with this blog. Don't consider it so much as a form procrastination as much as a productive way to step aside from Excluded and look at some of the other horror elements I've come up with since the novel.

In this case, I reviewed some drafts of Ashland's Asylum as well as an older post called 6 Insane Cures for Insanity.

Although I'm reviewing some of the treatments from the previous post, to see what makes for an intense scene or two in the book, I can't help but continue diving into the other bizarre methods doctors once used to "rid" their patients of various psychological ailments. As always, feel free to let me know if one of these treatments deserves to be in the novel. 

Rare and fascinating to many, solar eclipses have a way to get people talking. Today, countless news articles encourage us to step outside and watch the eclipse (while wearing protective eye wear, of course). Back in ancient times, solar eclipses either brought discovery or fear.  Below you will find a mix of discoveries & myths birthed during solar eclipses. 

For me, I love the idea of being scared. But for others, being terrified voluntarily sounds just plain stupid. So, why is that? 

Like anything else you need to do, distractions can cause you to lose your time to write. The worst part is writers now favor a word processor on their computers over writing by hand, which poses a dreadful dilemma: Should I check my email and Facebook first?

I believe a good horror story is broken down into fear, surprise, suspense, mystery, and "spoiler."

THE LAST SHOT FOR CHANCE BLACK TO SAVE HIS FAMILY . . . 

Chance Black, while not the writer he hoped to be, was a pretty damn good photographer. With his skills, Chance turned a dollar or two--enough for him, his wife, and his son to get by. One day, a comparatively sizable paycheck came along. An opportunity arose to photograph an event for the Long Brooke Sync, a local tabloid publication, but Chance had no idea what would come along with the cash.

​By coincidence, one of his photographs captured suspicious behavior in the background, and unfortunately for Chance, the man committing the act figured it out first. In order to take the photograph back from Chance, the man in the photo decided he needed some major collateral. 

What's better: Writing every day or writing only when inspiration strikes?
Provide your answer below and then find out which response might be best for you.