I finally got the web site to a point that I’m pretty happy with. (Click on the “Magic Bound” link to the right and you’ll see it.) I’ve had fun playing with the graphics and the layout on this one. I’ve also had fun coming up with some of the background information I put on [...]
I haven’t had to plot out a new story for a long time. I’d forgotten how hard it can be. I’m in the brainstorming stage: writing down lists of ideas, no matter how good or bad they seem to be. Soon, hopefully, those ideas will coalesce into something that resembles a feasible plot. Going by [...]
So what does one do when taking a month away from one’s current book? (Which not only gives beta readers a stab at it but also gives you relatively fresh eyes when returning to it. Very important, in my opinion.) “Take a break” sounds nice. But it has problems. For one thing, at least for [...]
I have finished the second draft of the book, finished revisions on it, and begun sending it out to the people who have agreed to read it. Eeek! I’m feeling an interesting mix of relief and excitement from finishing, nervousness from people reading it, and dread from the next cycle of revisions coming up. Not [...]
Writing is like practicing an instrument. I remember as a kid I always hated practicing, but when I actually sat down and did it, it was kind of fun. (I have no issues with practicing now. Nope. None at all.) And sitting down to write, getting my hands on the keyboard, is sometimes the hardest [...]
There are lots of ways to split writers into different categories. Everyone’s different, of course, but there are certain tendencies that people share to one degree or another. Plotters and Pantsers (as in by-the-seat-of), for example. Another that I’ve seen is writing speed. Speed might be the wrong term, actually. It has more to do [...]
There is an interesting contradiction that I’ve seen in myself and that I suspect is also true for many other writers, or artists of one sort or another. On the one hand is a rather inflated ego. I think this is probably necessary for most artists. I mean, really, you need some pretty high self-confidence [...]
I set aside yesterday afternoon as writing time, and got over 1750 words written. Which feels great after a week of crummy wordcounts. Having a whole afternoon to write was lovely. I’m going to try and use the inspiration to take better advantage of the times I have during the week. Getting up earlier in [...]
I read some interesting comments lately about conflict in stories, and how what you might think of as conflict – characters arguing, for example – can be exactly what you don’t need. We’re often told that stories need conflict. But obvious, shouting-at-each-other conflict can actually decrease the level of tension. Two people stepping around each [...]
I realized a couple nights ago that I have a sagging middle. (Middle of the book. Sheesh, what did you think I meant?) I should have expected it. I dialed up everything in the beginning, so now what I had before doesn’t quite live up. Especially since one of the more exciting scenes won’t work [...]