I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much, lately. I just haven’t had much to say that’s been worth writing about. (I never want to write a blog entry just for the sake of writing an entry.) I spent a lot of time preparing for a writing conference at the end of June. Since then, I’ve […]
Very Short Stories
Before tackling the first adult novel I remember reading, John Irving’s The World According to Garp (Modern Library) (affiliate link), the first adult fiction of any kind I remember reading was James Thurber’s short stories, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and “The Catbird Seat.” I read them because they were available, and they were […]
Tweet or Die?
We’ve all heard people touting the importance of that ever-present writing buzzword: platform. We’ve all heard that without a platform, you may as well give up writing, no matter how good you are. We’ve all heard about how writers need a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Foursquare account, a Gowalla account, a […]
WLT Agents Conference – Day 2 Recap
On Saturday morning, I attended the Why We Still Love Fiction session, moderated by John Pipkin. Panelists: agents B.J. Robbins and Alex Glass. What Makes a Book Good? When asked what the panelists look for in good fiction, Alex said he wants a book that’s a “transporting reading experience.” While both agents mentioned that readers […]
WLT Agents Conference – Day 1 Recap
The Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference started Friday, June 25. I attended a pre-conference pitch workshop with agent, Rebecca Oliver. Here’s a recap of the workshop for those in other agents’ workshops, or for people unable to attend: Rebecca began the workshop by sharing 10 things agents often hear that drives them crazy. None […]
Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference
This weekend is the Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference. If you’re interested in what I’m up to, I plan to update my Twitter feed as much as possible. If you’re interested in all the goings on at the conference, check out the #wltcon hashtag. If you’re attending the conference and see me, please say […]
Writing vs. Family
After almost 18 years together, my wife has come to accept that when she asks me how much longer I plan to write before lunch and I say, “15-20 minutes,” that what I really mean is, “Maybe 40-45 minutes.” Spending time with family is important, but so is having time to write. Throw in a […]
Monday Motivation: The Power of Humor
“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.” – Mark Twain “Humor is an almost physiological response to fear.” – Kurt Vonnegut “You can’t deny laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me the […]
Monday Motivation: The Luckiest Thing
Saturday night, instead of writing, I plopped down on the couch and watched a couple movies with my wife. I had plenty of writing-related things I needed to do; in fact, the plan for the evening was writing for me, and movies for my wife. I knew she’d enjoy the movies even more with company, […]
Awfully Quiet
I apologize for being so quiet, lately — I’ve been preparing for the Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference at the end of the month. I’m sure I’ll post an entry or two before the conference, but I wanted to let everybody know why I haven’t been posting regularly. I hope everybody’s writing is going […]
Writing Through the Hunt
Many juggling writers spend their days at work wishing they were home writing. Sometimes the opportunity to have time to write comes along in the form of a layoff. I was laid off last December, and while landing my next job would be nice, it’s not something I’m stressing about (yet). Some people spend their […]
Monday Motivation: What’s a Picture Worth?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If you’re looking for inspiration this week — either a story idea or a writing exercise to get the creative juices flowing — write a thousand words about either of the couples below (or 500 words about each couple). Still stuck? Consider these possibilities: What if […]
Decisions, Decisions
Wednesday, I talked about trusted readers. One of my trusted readers told me that while he liked the writing in a chapter in the book I’m polishing right now, he felt the chapter could be cut back or even removed. Another trusted reader said it was one of her favorite chapters. What’s a writer to […]
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