A friend pointed out that I am not the only Juggling Writer out there. I know many jugglers who also write — we’re all juggling writers. In this particular case, though, I’m talking Capital-J Capital-W Juggling Writer. From what I can tell, Nathaniel’s had his Juggling Writer site for a couple years. I’m a couple […]
Making Writing Visual
I have always admired artists. They can hold up their work and, in an instant, an audience can tell if they like it or not. I’ve talked about it before: when it comes to a properly formatted manuscript — physically — they all look the same. (Man, that’s a shoddy video! But…it’s how one learns!) […]
On Audience and the Writing We Do
I’m still alive (writing and, at least for the rest of March, putting in extra hours at work). There’s a certain pride in still writing fiction during crunch time during a release at work requiring some extra [tech] writing. Busy times…looking forward to April. Later in April is a mini writing retreat, similar to the […]
I’m Not Good at Self Promotion
I’ve said before that when it comes to self promotion, I’m not the best. Want proof? Over a month ago, I had a novella called Old Man released as an ebook. Now, I did write a blog entry about writing the same story in different formats shortly before Old Man was released. But I never […]
The Importance of Young Adult Fiction
When I was 12, an age deemed by many to be perfect for young adult fiction, I gravitated toward John Cheever, John Irving, and Stephen King. I wanted to read what my mom, sister, and step father read. So…Cheever’s short stories were a good intro. King was a no-brainer; “The Body” was the greatest thing […]
Shawn Kupfer is Full of Fear and Anger — An Interview
When we last left Shawn Kupfer, he was going Supercritical. These days, he’s still writing the 47 Echo series, with a big change in the way it’s being published (spoiler alert, but not really: he started his own electronic press). He’s also added a weekly podcast to his already busy schedule of blogging. This time […]
An Honest Assessment (Of Your Own Work)
Writers have a reputation for being a bit defensive. Really, it extends to artists and many other creative endeavors. (Hell, it’s really just a human trait.) People are often their own worst critics. Despite people claiming to be their own worst critics, feelings for what one does are often kept inside. It’s not that often […]
The Paul Lamb Show
Paul Lamb loves attention! In a world of desperate reality show “celebrities” and pop star divas, Paul Lamb rises above them all, shouting his own praises from rooftops for all to hear. He’s everywhere these days! Okay, if you know Paul Lamb, you know he cringes at the thought of self promotion even more than […]
Best of The Juggling Writer – 2012
2012 was a year of change for me. Not in the writing I did, but in my views as a writer. I didn’t realize it until looking back over the year. I wouldn’t go as far as saying everything I thought about writing changed this year, but in the change that happened I found myself […]
The Death of Books
Books are dead; long live the e-reader! Nobody reads anymore, so why bother writing? By the time 2015 rolls around, publishing will be dead! Why in the world would anyone open a bookstore these days?! I’ve heard all this (and more) said about the industry. Being a realist, I know things aren’t the way they […]
A Book Signing Warning
Years ago when I was doing a comic book with my wife, we had a brilliant idea: “Sign all orders!” Every book that sold through a distributor was signed before shipping. Looking back, we were lucky we only had to sign what probably totaled a little over 500 comic books. At the time, we thought […]
Making Time for What Matters
A writer friend shared the video above on Facebook this morning. Whether you were a fan of Mitch Hedberg’s comedy or not, there are some moments in the video that should hit home if you write. But there’s something in the video for anybody — writer or not. For those who don’t have time to […]
The Book Pile: Identity, by Mark Hosack
I preface this review by saying two things: 1) I am friends with Mark Hosack and 2) This review is based on an advanced reading copy — not what you can buy right here. (On special, even!) But back to the advanced reader copy thing…this review is based on that. For all I know, in […]