21
11, 2013
Self-publishing: a seldom-told story
Here’s the good news: self-publishing puts authors in control of nearly every aspect of the publishing process. That’s also the bad news.
19
03, 2013
Choose your own adventure (please!)
Remember those old Choose Your Own Adventure books? The ones where you controlled a character’s destiny and guided the direction of the narrative? I’m conducting an experiment that brings that old series of children’s books to mind...
4
03, 2013
The ‘cons’ of writing collaborations
Whenever I imagine my future novels sitting on a bookshelf, I see my full name on the spine. Mine and mine alone.
14
02, 2013
My first attempt at writing a love story
It all started with a boy, a girl, and a valentine. Well, technically it was the absence of a Valentine’s Day card...
29
01, 2013
Anyone can write a short story (except me)
It’s a piece of advice I’ve heard on many occasions: short stories first, then novels.
5
12, 2012
Storytelling can take many forms
Some of the characters I’ve enjoyed writing about the most are an inch and a half tall.
25
09, 2012
Don’t let minor characters usurp your MS
At a recent Allied Authors of Wisconsin meeting, I was thrilled to receive unanimously positive feedback on a particular character in the chapter I read. The only problem is all that praise went to a pretty minor character who appears in just one scene in the entire novel and doesn’t even have a name.
29
05, 2012
When it comes to writing, how much planning is too much?
If the first draft allows the writer to indulge in a carefree orgy of imagination, a Wild West of whimsy, and a devil-may-care series of experiments, then the editing process demands the writer to abstain, rein it in, and exorcise a host of demons.
1
05, 2012
In defense of the dabbler…or…why getting published might not be all it’s cracked up to be
In an earlier post, I defined a dabbler as someone who has yet to write one million words while simultaneously implying that the one million words benchmark might be less of a milestone than a state of mind.
24
04, 2012
Writing presents an endless series of gambles
I’m not a master poker player by any means, but while reading through the first draft of my latest novel, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Friday night card games from my high school days.