Middletonian July 2020

The Middletonian

MIDDIES MAKE THEIR MOVE

The middletown middies want to break their playoff slump

MANAGING SUCCESS Middletown hires New City Manager, Jim Palenick

SUMMER 2020

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Summer 2020 • Vol. 2, No. 6

I NSI DE

6 Cache in on a Good Time

Middletown joins the international Geocaching movement

8 Middies Make Their Move

The Middletown Middies look to break out of their playoff slump with breakout stars

10 Teacher Spotlight

Local teachers get creative to reach their students virtually

12 Managing Success

Middletown hires Jim Palenick as its new city manager

16 The Sky’s the Limit

Start Skydiving offers an unforgettable thrill while making an economic impact on Middltown

18 21 A Timely Thriller

George M. Verity

The Dean of Little Steel

Local lawyer Gregor Pratt releases Ebola Island

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CACHE IN ON A GOOD TIME Middletown Joins the International Geocaching Movement

BY L AUR A LE AVIT T

B

oth the young and the youngat-heart love a good treasure hunt. The thrill of figuring out clues, looking around unexpected corners, and final discovery all fulfill some deep part of us. Now, here in Middletown, a treasure hunt is on, and you can be part of it.

What is Geocaching?

If you haven’t heard of it before, 6

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geocaching is a worldwide ‘treasure hunt’ that has been going on for years.

Geocachers download the Geocaching. com application and look for tagged “caches” around them. A cache can be as big as a shoebox and as small as a camera film canister. No matter the size of the cache, the hope is to use clues in the phone application to help you get close enough to the spot where you can peel your eyes

new location and left in a new cache. Along the way, people input the trackable’s unique number into the website, which lets you ‘track’ where that item has traveled.”

Geocaching ultimately is about the thrill of the hunt, not the treasures at the end, but you never know when a cache might contain more than just its standard logbook.

Geocaching in Middletown Starting July 1st, the Middletown Geocache Trail will be live on Geocaching.com’s site and app. You can download it for free to most smart devices, which is helpful because you will need that app with you to find the location and start looking for the caches. “We’ve been talking about a geocache trail for some time, but now we thought was the time to prioritize it,” explains Huttlinger.

“It’s a ten-stop discovery adventure trail with all stops at the beginner or intermediate level.”

To get people started, the Middletown Visitor’s Bureau has partnered with Haute Fusion’s artist John Ferrando to create two kinds of treasures for the caches.

for clues to the cache’s whereabouts.

The standard in geocaching is that the cache will contain a log, where you can write a note to the next discoverers of the cache, and potentially some kind of small treasure. “Caches also contain trackables,” says Mary Huttlinger, executive director of the Middletown Visitor’s Bureau. “Trackables are items that aren’t meant to be kept, but instead are meant to be carried to a

“For the first two weeks, John has collectible commemorative coins that will be placed in the caches,” says Huttlinger. “Later in the month, we’ll put unique trackable coins, which we hope will ‘see the world’ as others travel with them and leave them in new places.”

Periodically, caches will also be filled with a new prize or two, sweetening the deal for some lucky cache-hunters.

“We’ll have t-shirts, gift cards, as well as giveaways of experiences like bike rentals and skydiving,” says Huttlinger. “For the early birds, those collectible coins will be a draw as well, since there will only be 10 per cache in those first weeks.”

“IT’S A TEN-STOP DISCOVERY ADVENTURE TRAIL, WITH ALL STOPS AT THE BEGINNER OR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL.” The goals for the Visitor’s Bureau are many, from supporting and uplifting the art community in Middletown to getting people excited about spending time outside, to bringing in tourism from neighboring cities and towns.

Middletown’s Visitors Bureau has been instrumental in a multifaceted approach to tourism in the past few months. “We’ve taken an intentional pivot from our traditional mission of working to attract visitors to Middletown, and we’ve really decided to focus on supporting communication between city leaders and Middletown residents,” explains Huttlinger. “We wanted to help people understand what is open, what are their options, how to still enjoy Middletown in a safe way that is comfortable.”

Trying a geocache is a nice way to spend time with friends or children, especially since it doesn’t cost any money, but be warned: once you start, you may be a geocache-lover for life!

Summer 2020

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The Middletown Middies look to break out of their playoff appearance slump with breakout stars Josh Bryant and Cameron Junior

BY REID MAUS

F

OR NEARLY a decade the Middletown Middies have been mired by little success on the gridiron. But with a presumed new season comes a full array of aspirations-- and the hope surrounding the football program hasn’t been this high in years.

2011 was the last Middletown winning season and playoff appearance.

Obviously since then, the Middies haven’t been the same program they were when Chris Carter was in uniform. In the past four seasons they only were able to tally four marks in the win column—but that can all change in 2020. At the center of that hope is two seniors that have the ability and experience to lead a team—running back Josh Bryant and linebacker Cameron Junior.

Around the state Bryant, who has been a two year starter in the back field, hasn’t garnered as much 8

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attention as say, someone like Fairfield’s Jutahn McClain. But that doesn’t take away from him as a player, and Greater Miami Conference defensive coordinators will tell you the same thing. Bryant has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in each of the last two seasons, but this year he won’t only need to continue his success on the field but also up his role off it. “I

have the most varsity experience on the team. If I lead and everyone else follows me, then shoot,” said Bryant alluding to a potential successful season.

The running back understands that being a senior, with success in the past, carries a lot of responsibility. He is looked upon as a leader by not only his PHOTOGR APHS BY BAILEY OSBORNE

fellow teammates but also by the youth in the Middies program.

“I’ve had kids in fifth grade asking if I’d work with them,” he said. “That’s great. I can help them improve, and [help] build the program.”

All coaches will tell you that the bedrock of a successful program is the youth system, so with a talent like Josh ‘So Icy’ Bryant helping the cause, the sky’s the limit for the Middies in the future.

Bryant will be the focus of an offense that returns eight of 11 starters. On the other side of the ball it’s a much different story.

The defense will need to have a much better season if Middletown wants to be successful. Luckily they have the right centerpiece in senior linebacker Cameron Junior.

Junior is the son of two time pro-bowl linebacker E.J. Junior, who spent 13 years in the National Football League. Talent very clearly runs in the family as Junior received second team All-Ohio honors last year. An honor he most definitely deserved since he dominated with 88 tackles, four sacks and five forced fumbles. Just like Bryant, he knows that senior year he is going to have to step it up in more than just his play.

“My whole high school career we only won four games so I wanted to make a change

because we’ve never really had leadership,” said Junior.

“It’s our senior year now, so we have all senior leaders, so we need to be better.”

Junior believes that the best way to improve the team is by competition.

“I’ve got to push all the freshmen, all the young guys to be better,” he said.

“If any of them can beat me then we all are going to be on the same level.”

That level that Junior plays at has drawn the attention of several colleges, such as Air Force, Akron, Army, Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati amongst others.

He says that amongst other goals he wants to have several power-five conference looks by the season’s end.

Bryant is also D1 bound as he has received offers and looks from mostly MAC schools like Akron, Ball State, Toledo and Kent State. Those offers will continue to flood in as long as he has another monster year.

The aspirations are high for these Middies’ seniors, as they aren’t content with just being competitive.

“We want to go to state.

We want to go farther than the 2011 group,” said Cameron Junior.

“I feel like we can go farther than them.”

Middletown opens up their season with Moeller at BarnitzStadium on August 28.

Summer 2020

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Teacher Spotlight LOCAL TEACHERS GET CREATIVE TO REACH STUDENTS VIRTUALLY

BY LAURA LEAVITT

JOE STRINGER (above), Physics and Physical Sciences Teacher, Middletown High School What is your favorite aspect of teaching Physics and Physical Sciences?

It’s a science that has very real-world applications. You can do lots of projects, and that’s why I like teaching it, because it’s more hands-on.

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all of the houses to see the kids and connect and give them a gift of sidewalk chalk, just to remind them I care about them.

What is one challenge you’ve overcome in the recent months during this unusual teaching time?

I made video lessons, and I have a whiteboard at my house, so I could record lessons, but I couldn’t always get into the classroom to get equipment.

I was able to use whiteboards and cameras, so I could show things and design things.

What are one or two really successful teaching moments from this year?

For my class structure, they teach each other a lot. I give some instruction, but my proudest moments are when a student doesn’t understand, and they ask another person on the other side of the classroom.

They know I’m there to help because I’m always walking around, but the student-to-student reaction is great. You learn best from someone on your same playing field.

I am also proud that Middletown just started the eSports program, so during the shutdown, I got some of the kids together who had computers at home, and we were able to compete in a tournament, which meant they got to play together and spend time with other kids.

What is a life lesson that teaching has taught you?

Kids are kids, I always say that, it doesn’t

YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THE KIDS A LOT MORE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY COME IN WITH. IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE CURRICULUM; IT'S JUST ABOUT BEING THERE FOR A STUDENT WHEN THEY NEED IT. –JOE STRINGER

What’s a lesson that teaching has taught you over the years?

I’d have to say making sure that the people you care about know that you care about them. Any time you get the chance, make sure you tell your students how much I care about them. I may feel it all the time, but if I’m not telling them as often, they may not feel it.

matter where you are. The stuff that happens outside of school though, is what changes. You need to listen to the kids a lot more and understand what they come in with. It’s not always about the curriculum; it’s just about being there for a student when they need it.

GARRETT JONES (above), 3rd Grade Teacher, Mayfield Elementary What’s your favorite aspect of teaching 3rd graders in particular?

Their personalities are starting to flourish in 3rd grade; you can joke with them. They still have innocence, but they’re starting to be more independent and grow into themselves.

What has been a challenge you’ve overcome during this unprecedented season of teaching?

The biggest challenge during this time is not being able to see the kids every day in the same way, even with video calls.

At the end of the school year, I went to

Can you share a fun or funny story from your classroom this year?

One thing I really enjoy doing with my class is a “read aloud” with my kids every morning.

It’s a morning meeting to share and talk, then I’ll read something out loud. Their only job is to listen and think, no assignments or questions, just sit, listen, and think.

Throughout the year, we’ve had some really good conversations because of the “read aloud.” We’ve got some really funny kids who are clearly listening. They don’t have to read them themselves, so lower-level readers can make a connection. Even by March, I saw my kids grow as readers a lot more. They also listen to other students’ answers while having their own thoughts. That’s something that really starts the day on the right foot.

THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE STARTING TO FLOURISH IN 3RD GRADE; YOU CAN JOKE WITH THEM. THEY STILL HAVE INNOCENCE, BUT THEY’RE STARTING TO BE MORE INDEPENDENT AND GROW INTO THEMSELVES. –GARRETT JONES

Summer 2020

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MANAGING SUCCESS MIDDLETOWN HIRES JIM PALENICK AS NEW CITY MANAGER

This month, Jim Palenick (right) will begin his work as city manager of Middletown. We thought we’d chat with him, get to know his background and interests.

What are you excited to work on when you arrive in Middletown and get started?

I have always enjoyed the challenge of structuring and working through complex economic development and/or redevelopment projects, particularly where they are seen by the community as “transformational”.

So, I look forward to some of those “transformational” projects that the community can take great pride in.

What has been your proudest accomplishment as city administrator in Racine, Wisconsin, your most recent prior position?

The fact that we have been able to structure and get final approval for several of those “transformational” development projects that will impact the long-term future of the community— 12

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representing well over $150 million in private sector investment along with new, quality housing options, lodging, and a destination hotel/convention center on the lakefront.

If you had to spend a day with one famous person, who would you choose?

I am going to take the liberty of expanding this question to one historical figure (deceased) and one current, living famous person. In that light, I would select Abraham Lincoln, because I have an incredible respect for, and fascination with this amazing, yet-obviously tortured man who found a way to set the established standard

for presidential leadership in a crisis by keeping the greatest nation on earth whole while enduring a Civil War and ending slavery. His ethics, courage and resolve are worthy of admiration. I would love to hear the wisdom of his counsel.

As to a living, famous person, I would choose an individual of lesser-known or acknowledged fame—Bob Lazar. The man who is revered in UFO circles for his public revelations that he worked at Area 51, under top secret government clearance assigned to reverse-engineer extra-terrestrial technologies, including anti-gravity propulsion systems. I am

fascinated by the absolute endless nature of our universe and the speculation over intelligent life on other planets, galaxies or solar systems. I would love very much to pick Mr. Lazar’s brain to see if he, or his claims, are in fact credible.

What do you see as some obstacles in the next few years that can be turned into opportunities for Middletown?

Some of the vacant and/or blighted properties or surplus lots and lands, particularly in and around downtown—offer great opportunities for redevelopment. Also, some of the fears coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic have large city/urban dwellers thinking about relocating to smaller cities which could prove an opportunity, particularly if there are adequate amenities, a lower cost of living, and a perceived good quality of life, all of which Middletown can boast.

What is one of your most prized possessions?

A hand-made, hand-carved solid alder

wood dining room set I had custommade by a craftsman in New Mexico.

I enjoy art and furnishings from the Southwest, particularly Native American pieces.

They have been gracious, helpful and quite welcoming. They seem passionate about building a brighter future for the community and willing to work to get there.

What are you looking forward to about the move to Ohio?

Meeting new friends and colleagues; exploring new places; finding new favorite restaurants and craft brew pubs; and watching Joe Burrow turn the Bengals around.

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy walking, hiking, and biking. I like to cook on the weekends‌I find it relaxing. I like to read, travel, and play a little golf.

What is your favorite aspect of the work of city administration?

That literally no two days are ever the same. You get to be involved with such a wide variety of issues and challenges and are presented with so many different projects to work on. It is never boring and always offers great opportunity for personal fulfillment.

What has stuck out to you about the people of Middletown in your communications and visits so far?

What is one major life lesson that serving in public administration has taught you?

To practice empathy. To take the time to place yourself in the shoes and the life experience and the circumstances of those you interact with, so that you might best understand why they take the position that they do. When you do this, interactions and negotiations become much easier and more productive for all. Simple compassion and attentive listening, without judgment, can go a long way to break down both real and perceived barriers.

Summer 2020

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THE SKY’S THE Start Skydiving offers an unforgettable thrill while making an economic on Middletown

J

UST MINUTES from downtown is the Middletown Regional Airport, the location of the highest-rated skydiving center in the world, Start Skydiving.

You might be surprised to learn how well-regarded Middletown is in the skydiving community, but it has a major impact on our region. “Our facilities are seen as really clean, and our staff are very professional. Our equipment is spotless, our aircrafts are waxed and clean,” explains John Hart II, co-owner of Start Skydiving. “We have some of the best instructors in the world at Start Skydiving; they are respectful, personable, and knowledgeable.”

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At the heart of Start Skydiving, however, is a family passion. John Hart II began the company when his competitive skydiving team, Team Fastrax, needed a new skydiving center home, and he realized that he could fulfill that need. “This airport is such a big area, you can put so many skydivers in the air here while still making it safe to land,” Hart pointed out. “For our growth, this was a good move. We’re close to downtown restaurants, lots of conveniences for the skydivers. It’s the perfect place.”

Competitive and performance skydiving involves creating aerial

formations with a variety of hand grips and using additional items like large flags and even fireworks for night skydiving. “Team Fastrax is the largest professional skydiving team in the world. We started as a competitive team and morphed into a performance team,” says John Hart II. Now, the company and skydiving are both a legacy, since his two sons, Alex Hart and John Hart III, also play major roles as co-owners of the business. John Hart II has just recently hit 20,000 skydives in his lifetime, and both Alex and John have done thousands each. They balance the

LIMIT

BY LAURA LEAVITT needs of the Skydiving Center with their own careers in competitive and performance skydiving.

While they each play their role in marketing, representing, and instruction, Alex notes that much of his work involves synthesizing and putting plans into action. “There are lots of experts here, and as a manager, it’s our job to find all those people’s input and work them together into a plan,” says Alex. “We can’t do everything on our own.”

When thinking about how to give back to the skydiving community, the

Hart family decided to offer free skydiving experiences to paraplegic and quadriplegic visitors for whom other exciting and extreme sports might be out of reach. “We have people who come from all over the world because we’ve created special pants and harnesses to attach everyone and keep anyone from getting hurt,” says John Hart II. “It’s such a pleasure to watch these visitors exit the plane, and we do as many as 300 of these jumps a year for free. Our staff loves doing this for people.”

Though regulations at press time didn’t make it clear when skydiving centers would reopen, the leadership at Start Skydiving are excited to get back in the air. “We’ve got challenges, but we’re keeping things safe when we reopen. I’ve purchased a material that you can fog and the virus won’t live on it. We can fog the inside of the aircraft

with sanitizing material,” says John Hart II. “The most important thing to us is safety.”

Having run multiple successful businesses at this point, John Hart II deeply believes that going to work should be fun even if you are working hard, but he sees a larger responsibility in his work as well. “If you operate your business with the intent to better your community, the success rate will be higher,” he says. “So many people get into small business and look at it as their future, but if you look at it as my community’s future, you’ve got a better chance of success because your community is going to embrace you.”

Want to start skydiving without leaving your own neck of the woods?

Keep an eye on startskydiving.com to hear about updates on when the center will be open for experienced and firsttime skydivers.

Summer 2020

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GEORGE M. VERITY:

THE DEAN OF LITTLE STEEL By richard O Jones passed away in the spring of 1902, he had cast such a long shadow as the captain of Middletown industry that there seemed to be no individual with the stature to replace him. But there was a certain young man who had come to town just two years prior, with yet to make his mark.

A mere 36 years of age, he was waiting in the wings, almost ready to assume the mantle.

WHEN PAUL J. SORG

George Matthew Verity was born April 22, 1865 in East Liberty, Ohio, to circuit-riding Methodist preacher Jonathan Verity. His mother Mary Ann died young, so George moved with his father and went to many different grammar schools. It is said that from a very young age he longed to have a place to settle down. He graduated high school in Georgetown, Ohio, and attended Nelson’s Business College in Cincinnati. Young George’s first exposure to business was running 18

The Middletonian

the store at a Methodist camp during summer vacations.

It was at this shop that he met Miss Jean Standish, daughter of a prominent Cincinnati grocer. Jean’s father died a short time after he met the family, and Mrs. Standish asked him to take over their wholesale grocery store and oyster depot. Business was not always good, however, and Verity would often deliver oysters door-todoor himself. He eventually began to turn the store around, but he did not think they could compete against the growing Kroger chain. In 1887, when he advised Mrs. Standish to sell the store, she did. He quickly landed a position with the Sagendorf Iron Roofing and Corrugating Company on the Public Landing. With a salary of $100 a month, he asked for Jean Standish’s hand in marriage. She accepted.

Fast forward ten years of successful

and profitable manufacturing of roofing from rolls of sheet steel, Verity learned the intricacies of a steel manufacturing process scattered among different plants in different stages of production. He was elected secretary of the National Iron Roofing Association and began to dream of a plant that could make steel and roll it into sheets all under one roof. When it came time to find a place to open such a plant, Verity had to choose between Zanesville and Middletown. Both cities offered desirable sites and financial aid.

Although Zanesville offered cheaper fuel, he felt Middletown’s proximity to the canal would allow him to sell to Cincinnati markets at a greater profit.

On December 2, 1899, the American Rolling Mill Company--soon to be known simply as Armco--was organized with $200,000 capital and a promise to employ 150 men with a $25,000 monthly payroll. The following

summer, the cornerstone was laid on a plot of land known as Doty’s Grove, a plot of land that was popular for community gatherings. The city welcomed the American Rolling Mill Company by closing down shops and marching with the Sixth Infantry in a huge parade from the City Building, down Broad Street to Doty’s Grove.

There was much speechifying, and the News-Signal devoted its entire issue the next day to the proceedings and dubbed Middletown a “City with a Soul,” predicting that the steel industry “is destined to renew again our old time energy and place Middletown high in the ranks of great manufacturing cities of Ohio.” Verity was likened to Daniel Doty as a new pioneer. The Cincinnati press moaned of being “robbed of the fruits of her own development,” but Verity assured them that “business will still be done virtually on a Cincinnati basis.” The Businessmen’s Club presented him with an expensive silver service at a going-away celebration.

The Iron Age, a national industry publication, reported that “the plant will be erected upon a 15-acre site. It will be modern in every particular” with four sheet mills “of the latest type.”

The first fires were lit in March 1901 and a new era of manufacturing began in Middletown. Verity demanded improvements in public utilities and transportation--not for his plant but for the community in which its people lived and worked. The city wanted to keep Armco Steel, so it complied.

On November 9, 1909, city leaders gathered at the Elk’s Club for a special dinner meeting with the theme “Greater Middletown: Its Possibilities.”

Verity was greeted with cheers when he proclaimed, “As regards the responsibility of locating this new enterprise to Middletown, we stand ready to share with you, but we are not willing to assume it alone. This is Middletown’s golden opportunity and her people must share the resultant responsibility if they care to reap the reward.”

The “Greater Middletown” initiative resulted in a library, a YMCA program, a public hospital, a parks and recreation program, and improvements in the schools. Armco expanded, too, and Verity purchased four farms in Lemon Township and parts of three others for a site of over 400 acres to build a bigger and more modern plant for $3,000,000, which opened September 11, 1911.

Verity and Armco also gained national notoriety for its research in metallurgy.

The Iron Age cited improvements in coatings of zinc and enamel, refinements in producing electrical sheets with improved magnetic qualities, and improvements in the manufacturing process and engineering.

In a 1941 biography True Steel, Verity biographer Christy Borth said the plant “became at times a gigantic laboratory where men cast strange bundles into the hot metal to see how it would react. It was called a madhouse and it looked a hell yet men with the spirit of

adventure remained to work.”

Armco also led the way in labor relations, being the first steel company to offer eight-hour days and an organized safety program.

Armco plants opened up or took over operations in Butler, Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri; Ashland, Kentucky; and Zanesville and Hamilton, Ohio. Verity became known nationally as “the dean of little steel.”

He stepped down as president of Armco in 1930 but continued service as board president, beating the drum for “Armco Spirit,” saying that it made for “pep, pride, production, prograss, patriotism and prosperity.” He declared that “work is the noblest thing in life.”

George Verity died suddenly of a heart attack in November 1942. The Cincinnati Enquirer eulogized, “From the beginning of his career in Middletown, Mr. Verity became an influence in the city and his activities increased year after year. As the number of his employees increased, he devoted more and more of his time to their welfare. His activities resulted in the establishing of numerous parks, playgrounds and other recreational facilities.”

His obituaries also noted that Armco Steel had “never lost a pound of production or an hours work due to labor trouble in the 30 years he was actively at the helm.”

Three weeks later, his beloved wife Jean died after a long period of ill health.

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GO ON AN EPIC ADVENTURE The “New Discoveries” Geocache Trail in Middletown Ohio is a treasure hunt full of adventure and fun in our All American City!

Launching July 1, 2020, the geocache trail will have over 100 collectible coins, unique geocache trackables, prizes, and gift cards to local Middletown businesses. With 10 geocache locations and 10 different one-of-a-kind collectible coins to seek, the “New Discoveries” Geocache Trail offers outdoor fun to everyone!

More information at www.itsmiddletown.org/blog

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A Timely Thriller

Local lawyer turned novelist, Gregor Pratt, shares his novel Ebola Island

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REGOR PRATT spent 40 years as a trial lawyer, gaining the distinction as an Ohio Super Lawyer, but he always knew that he had other aspirations as well.

“I always wanted to write,” he says. “I wrote when I was in college, and then years later I joined a group for lawyers doing fiction writing. I love the journey that a book can take you on, and I wanted to do that for other people.”

Pratt’s first book, Ebola Island, debuted in November of 2019; the book chronicles a global ebola pandemic that results in forced quarantine of Ebola victims on the island of Madagascar.

Ebola Island offers exciting action, exotic scenery, and fascinating onthe-ground detail of what an out-ofcontrol pandemic might look like. Pratt combines the fast-moving plot skillfully with dynamic characters who must grow to trust each other in their dire circumstances if they want to survive.

“The main character is also a lawyer, and you can imagine that the courtroom scenes were easy for me to draw on my experiences,” says Pratt.

“Writing is the only time I can lose track of time,” he says. “I’ll think it’s 2:30 and realize that it’s actually 6:30! Some days I wrote over seven thousand words and didn’t really want to quit.”

Pratt really enjoys writing the actionpacked sections of the story, the plot comes most easily to him. He devoted special attention to character development, since, after all, one has to like the characters to care about what happens to them.

“The main character isn’t such a nice person at the beginning of the story,” he says. “But he develops as a human being throughout the story and that’s a part of the story.”

Pratt made the best of the COVID 19 restrictions. While Ebola Island

Pratt encourages those who love writing to not wait and work on their craft today. took multiple years to finish fully, he was able to finish a first draft of an upcoming sequel in only 45 days of writing, since the research and outlining were already done.

“Try to write something every week, to drive your story forward a little bit,” he says. “You’ll be surprised how much you’re able to accomplish when you put your shoulder to the wheel.”

Summer 2020

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