CHRIS ORCUTT

About five months ago, I bought a countdown clock that sits directly below my computer monitor, and for 157 days it’s been ticking down. It’s...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/the-nuclear-submarine-u-s-s-bodacious-resurfaces-after-six-months-of-deep-and-silent/

My friend Jason Scott and I have been friends since 5th grade–that’s over 40 years–and during that time Jason has continually introduced me to, and...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/at-the-dawn-of-a-new-age-in-art/

A couple weeks ago, I finished the second draft of the third episode (or volume) of the epic-length novel I’ve been writing for seven years....

https://orcutt.net/weblog/livin-the-dream/

Chris Orcutt enters the seventh year of work on his epic novel.

https://orcutt.net/weblog/the-seventh-year/

Last weekend, I attended a surprise party for my younger sister’s 50th birthday. The party, hosted by her husband and best friend, was a great...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/one-decision-that-changed-my-life-for-the-better/

Lately, more than ever, I’ve been thinking about a quote by the late, great playwright Sam Shepard: “Aloneness is a condition of writing. You look...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/aloneness/

This morning, to celebrate my birthday and the fact that I’m probably in the best shape of my life since I was 17, I went...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/f-ck-fifty-one/

I have a T-shirt with a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald on it. The quote reads, “You don’t write because you want to say something....

https://orcutt.net/weblog/the-social-distancing-champion-thrives-in-the-pandemic/

Back in March, I wrote a cheeky blog entry about how COVID-19 wouldn’t change my work as a writer a single bit. Turns out, I...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/hardish-times/

During the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to writing and revising my magnum opus, I’ve been doing a lot of hiking and mountain climbing. The other...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/the-hat/

This morning I overheard my wife on a conference call with her coworkers at the college where she works. They were discussing how the college...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/come-what-may-the-writing-life-rolls-along/

For a novelist, sometimes a minuscule change in routine, place or living situation can produce a massive shift in perspective that opens the floodgates of...

https://orcutt.net/weblog/the-inspiration-of-new-places-and-new-spaces-for-a-novelist/