On December 29, 2023, I did what I hadn’t done in five long years: finished the first draft of a new book. I know. I’m as surprised as you are. During most of those years, I didn’t think I’d ever write another book, that there was no point, that I’d burned out whatever sources of joy or inspiration I used to have. But those things weren’t gone – they were only dormant.
How to Translate a Foreign Language Video on YouTube
If you’ve ever wanted to translate a foreign language video on YouTube, this is the post for you. Boy, if I had a dime for every time I found a documentary on a royal figure that’s in Russian, German, or some other language I don’t speak…I’d have enough money to buy a second monitor, that’s for sure. The technology isn’t …
Historical Research: Forums, Search Engines & Social Media
How do you learn about a person who lived a hundred years before you, in a country that speaks another language? You get crafty AF. Clearly, I’m no expert. But I’m documenting the process here for my own benefit as well as yours. The older I get, the more forgetful I get. Sometimes, I just need that shit written down. …
Historical Research: What’s in a Name?
Hands down, the hardest part of research is keeping everything organized. When I started this project, it was just for fun. I didn’t realize it would snowball into three books, with hundreds of sources in four languages. The more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know. That’s okay—it happens to just about everyone. But it meant …
A Writer’s Midlife Crisis
There is a lie we tell our children. It goes something like this: “If you set your mind to a goal, you can achieve it. Anything is possible if you work hard enough.” We tell our kids they can be an astronaut, a ballerina, a basketball player, a physicist, or even the president. It’s not true. At least it wasn’t for me. I …