Dark times, Coming Home
Those were the dreadful times. They were trying times. Polish people were put in the positions, where there were no viable solutions. Any bad choice, and you end up with a bullet in your head. Yet, people helped each other. Unspeakable danger quite often brings up the worst in people. But also brought up the […]
Dark times, Trip to Auschwitz
There were the worst of times for my family, my country and the world. Two terrible powers, on their insane way to dominate, crushed everything and everybody that was on the way to oppose their vision of the world. Poland, for millennia, was squeezed between bad and worse, between two shades of evil. Suddenly, our […]
Writer’s Blog, a Perennial Boogeyman
Now, in my retirement, I am a perpetual reader. Not only of fiction, but also non-fiction, mainly books about the craft of storytelling. And there is an abundant supply of advice on how to strengthen your writing. Besides books you can touch, there are e-books, blogs, YouTube snippets and formal courses. The Teaching Company, college […]
My writings–short stories, part three.
Wer reited so spat durch Nacht und Wind? … Who rides there so late through the night, dark and drear? … Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Goethe, Der Erlkoenig. The Erlking. I remember this poem from my high school class in romantic literature. The story of a father riding horseback through the woods with his sick […]
The Polish Version of My Website is Coming.
Seems so obvious now, but it took quite a few years to crystallize. With the advent of Google Analytics, I realized my website is missing Polish readers. The English readership in my native country is getting better, but my generation prefers to speak and read Polish. So, with the help of a new technology, I’m […]
Novels or Short Stories? The Answer is – Both
The second book, “The Resurrections”, and the second story, “Kate’s Wedding”. Imagine that you have a daughter. She used to be the brightest star in your morning sky, right before the dawn. In the delivery room, you saw her first, even before your wife had a chance. You’ve sent her to the best available schools. […]
My writings-short stories, part one.
Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Oscar Wilde It came to me that I can use my already published materials as a source for further writing. I chose one, probably the most interesting chapter in each book, and developed it into a short story. Yes, I did steal them, but from myself. It felt like […]
What I Write About, and Why
Writing a novel is a long game. Months, often years. Intense, lonely hours. But if you like it––it’s exhilarating. There is this liberating feeling of creation and accomplishment. And constant study. I had the stories to tell, but that was not enough. I had to learn the literary language. I had to learn how to […]
My Journey as a Writer
How did I become a writer? By the end of my hospital life, I’ve decided what I wanted in the retirement. With a sudden ‘But of course!’ writing became a major interest of mine. In time, it gradually dominated most of my days’, and sometimes nights’, hours. The learning process took time, but now the […]
