Twenty plus years of marriage. A teenage daughter. Creeping towards my black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Waking up early every day to write fiction. Or sometimes just stare at the blank page. Now testing Seth Godin's idea of blogging daily. Sharing my thoughts. Always hardest to begin something new, and to commit to it, but after some time, it loses its strangeness and becomes who … [Read more...]
My 5,000 Words Per Hour Experiment, or Write Faster Fool
I am a hunt-and-peck typist. Somehow I still get words out on the page. The power of two or three fingers. I muddle through. But, of course, I would love to be able to write faster. Wouldn't we all? And in looking for a way to increase my productivity, I've come across numerous folks singing the praises of books outlining methods to write faster - 5,000 words an hour, 2,000 to … [Read more...]
Changing my mind about writing to market
In some previous blog post, I blathered on about my dislike for folks who were on the soap box ranting about the idea of writing to market. I can't quite recall what I wrote (and am too lazy to search around on my own website) but the general gist was: Meh, I want to write what I want to write. I abhorred the idea of doing research to determine what genre of story I was going to write. It … [Read more...]
Understanding Openings: Black City Saint
Black City Saint Title: Black City Saint Author: Richard A. Knaak Opening of Black City Saint First line/s: “The old, black Model T touring car rumbling past the lone street lamp across from her house had seen better days, but it served the needs of the two young, gaily dressed couples heading towards the sounds of jazz in the distance. My client grumbled under her breath in … [Read more...]
Understanding Openings: The Scourge of the Betrayer
The next book in my own going study of the craft of writing a good opening is Jeff Salyards’ dark fantasy The Scourge of the Betrayer. The Scourge of the Betrayer Title: The Scourge of the Betrayer Author: Jeff Salyards Opening of the Scourge of the Betrayer First line/s: “My new patron clambered down the wagon, dark hair slicked back like wet otter fur, eyes roaming the stable yard in … [Read more...]
Best books for writers: My top three
When you ask folks what are the best books for writers, odds are someone's going to mention Stephen King's On Writing, but that modern classic doesn't make my top three. Read on to see what made my top three and why. First, a little background. Everyone has different tastes in books. The books I like may not be the ones that you like. And as writers, we should be spending more time … [Read more...]
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