Hey, World.

I’ve written quite a bit at joelgaff.com, but my writing has lapsed.  I still want that to be where I post my writing, but the sheer simplicity of writing here at HEY World is freeing.  No need to worry about formatting, no need to worry about layout.  Just write and send, and it’s posted. Just like writing an email to …

The Bomb – Part 3

Part 1 and part 2. We’re finally looking well beyond the explosion. Our 13-week old little bomb has the most lovely smile, quiet coos, and big, beautiful eyes. She’s sleeping a stretch of at least eight hours a night, and goes 12 hours between feedings at night. Her five week early arrival is now almost an afterthought, and she’s wooing …

The Bomb – Part 2

Read this post for part 1 Eventually we were able to take more and more steps without falling down, but we still weren’t in the clear. To make matters worse, as a result of all the damage from the initial blast, fires would pop up here and there, and we’d have to put those out first before continuing on. We’re …

The Bomb – Part 1

The bomb had just detonated. No one was expecting it. Not for some time yet at least. We were caught off guard, and we reeled as we felt the effects of the explosion sink in. We looked around, everything was a mess, and we were still trying to process what had just happened. As we tried to get to our …

Night Owl Writer

While I like to talk about the times when I have a solid early morning routine, getting up pre-dawn, going for a run, and getting some writing done, all before the sun rises, there are periods when this just simply doesn’t happen. This is one of those times. I have to admit that since our second daughter came along a …

I Don’t Care Who Reads This*

As a writer it’s pretty much expected that someone will read what you’re writing. But when you write, how much does the reader affect what you write? Do you say certain things or not say others based on who you think (or know) will read your writing? Do you ask yourself , “what will so-and-so think about what I’m writing …

Real, Honest, Writing

If you scroll through any of the major online news sources these days you’ll see lots of click bait headlines and articles with catchy titles. Don’t get me wrong, a well written title is rad, but when the title is the only well crafted piece of writing, I’d rather pass. I really can’t stand those kinds of articles. I know …

Hit Publish

Just a quick reminder that maintaining a regular writing habit doesn’t mean that you have to write a 500 word essay every day. If you’re just getting started as a writer and writing every day is your goal, build that habit first. Write a brief, short, even micro post, every day. Hit publish, and move on to the next day. …

Save as Draft

Sometimes I have more ideas to write than I have available waking hours. This isn’t to say that I have lots of ideas, but rather that I’m short on the waking hours part. Today is the second day where my planned topic for the post ended up spiraling into an uber in depth article rather than a small thought. Because …

How I Write

I’m currently sitting in a solid streak of over 40 days of writing. Some days I write more, some less. Some days I’m happy with my writing, some I’m not. But I’m still writing, and I’ve gotten into a good routine of coming up with things to write. I would have never thought I’d be able to have something new …