Novelists have a reputation of being reclusive. Non-fiction writers have a reputation of being salesmen. There’s nothing wrong with being reclusive (although it may take longer to make it—if you make it), and there’s nothing wrong with working hard to sell books. The average book (fiction or non-fiction) doesn’t receive the publicity most authors would […]
My Muse
Wednesday, I wrote about killing the Muse. If I have a Muse, this is what he looks like: He’s a short, gruff guy with a big heart. He wears a yellow hardhat and chews on a cigar. He has a pop eye and says stuff like, “Come on, kid—get your ass in gear! This building […]
Killing the Muse
People who wait for inspiration typically stagnate more than they produce. It’s a nice thought that some unseen entity — a Muse — watches over you as you do the things that keep you from writing, just waiting for the right moment to whisper “write,” in your ear. When the sweet word dances in your […]
The Sunday Night Ache
Sunday nights get to me. I love having a weekend to see the people I love, and I love having a weekend to write! Sunday night signals a return to the 5/7ths of the week I have to work. When it comes to jobs, I have a good one. I’ve turned down offers making almost […]
Looking Back
There are times I look back on my writing progress in recent years and feel like I haven’t done enough. I can come up with excuses; some of them are even valid: I spent a couple years caring for my big sister before she died from cancer in 2003. I’ve spent most of my recent […]
The Big Writing Lesson I Learned from Juggling
I know it goes without saying, but to get good at something, you have to practice. A lot! I’ve been juggling since 1981 (and I have the picture to prove it!). I used to devote all my free time to juggling. Later, I devoted most of my free time to writing. (At times, I wrote […]
Odd Jobs Help Writing
You probably spend the day working someplace where you wouldn’t be if you made a living writing full time. I’ve worked at my current job (editing and formatting airplane manuals) for almost five years. I like my job as much as I can like a day job. It’s the longest job I’ve ever held, but […]
The 50,000-Word Race
NaNoWriMo begins at 12:00 a.m. on November 1st. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Each November, over 100,000 people take a vow to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Less than 20% succeed. Fifty thousand words in one month is a challenge for even fulltime writers, let alone writers who are […]
The Takeoff Roll
Last year, I read a friend’s first novel. He critiqued some of my writing in the past, and it was nice returning the favor. He’s getting ready to submit the novel to an agent who reads his writing, and he asked me if I felt the novel was tight enough to submit. He asked me […]
10 Ways to Keep Writing While Traveling for Work
Traveling for work (the day job), can cut into a writing schedule. Here are 10 tips to help you keep writing, or at least focus on writing-related things, while on the road. 1. Make a Writing Schedule Before You Leave Making a writing schedule before you leave for a business trip ensures that you’ll actually […]
The Best Critique I Ever Received
This week — Monday through Friday — I’m talking about criticism. Monday: The Benefits of Criticism Tuesday: 5 Ways to Handle Criticism Wednesday: 5 Ways to Give Good Critiques Yesterday: Criticism — It’s Not an Editor’s Job Today: The Best Critique I Ever Received I had somebody in development at a major film studio interested […]
Criticism — It’s Not an Editor’s Job
This week — Monday through Friday — I’m talking about criticism. Monday: The Benefits of Criticism Tuesday: 5 Ways to Handle Criticism Yesterday: 5 Ways to Give Good Critiques Today: Criticism — It’s Not an Editor’s Job Friday: The Best Critique I Ever Received A few of the things I’ve heard people say before submitting […]
5 Ways to Give Good Critiques
This week — Monday through Friday — I’m talking about criticism. Monday: The Benefits of Criticism Tuesday: 5 Ways to Handle Criticism Today: 5 Ways to Give Good Critiques Thursday: Criticism — It’s Not an Editor’s Job Friday: The Best Critique I Ever Received 1. Take the Time. If you agree to read somebody’s work […]
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