I recently read an article about publishers hunting for blockbusters. It’s an interesting article, but what struck me most was this comment (by Gizella) about what many books lack: Perhaps it’s because a great story needs a background of compelling conflict, and in our peaceful, Western, materially rich, and mostly liberal societies, conflicts are muted, […]
Sticking to a Writing Plan
One day not so long ago, while working on a novel, I came to this conclusion: This would be much better as three novels. So that’s what I did. No longer was A Magic Life going to be just one book — it was now going to be three. And as I near the end […]
The Distracted Writer
I saw this recently — a word processor mimicking a typewriter that promises distraction-free writing. Some writers use old, manual typewriters — and not just in the pursuit of hipsterdom, but to avoid distractions. Others grab a pen and paper and write longhand manuscripts. On Sunday, I listened to this great interview with Robin Sloan […]
Writing as Hospitality
Yesterday morning, I finished a big release at work. Of all the writing I do, technical writing pays the most bills. I write for a software company that serves the hospitality industry. Hospitality I like hotels. A lot. Even tiny motels where people try their best with what they have. I will always remember a […]
Why I Wake Up Early (Even on the Weekend)
I’ve written about mornings before on my main blog. It’s no secret that I like waking up early to write. But there’s a reason beyond the quiet that matters to me: if I get up early and make something I want to make before the world hisses to life and churns away, all the things […]
How to Come Up with Good Ideas
Yesterday at work, I had an idea for a blog entry. It was a great idea — at least that’s how I remember it. Because I was working, I wrote a note in a notebook (instead of putting it in Evernote), but today…I can’t find it. I hear a lot of people talk about keeping […]
Five Writing Lessons Learned from Podcast Movement
Last weekend, I attended Podcast Movement 2014, in Dallas. Over 600 podcasters from all over the world descended on the area. (If you’re interested, I wrote about it here.) If you know me, you know I tend to be shy in groups. Even around people I know well, the moment there are four or more […]
How Do You Write?
Getting from one side of a novel to the other… There comes a point in my writing process that I take over the living room for the day. Whether it’s bits and pieces of a story written on note cards, or printed sections of a manuscript color coded and spread out on the floor so […]
A Matter of Strength
I didn’t get along very well with school. It seemed there was little encouragement for the things I did well and a pile of chiding and force put into the things I didn’t do so well. My schooling seemed fixated on pushing me to put 10 times the effort toward my weaknesses, while rarely encouraging […]
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!) […]
Looking Through an Old Lens
I follow quite a few photographers from my Google Plus account and from my Flickr account. Every so often, I see someone post images taken with an old camera that impress others. I’ve seen people modify digital cameras with old lenses. Again, people are impressed by the results. For all that can be done with […]
Caddo Lake State Park Writing Retreat
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned a second annual writing retreat was happening. With last year’s retreat a success, there was no way a friend and I weren’t going to make it an annual thing. There are plenty of lakes with weekend cabins not too far away, and thanks to the mightiness that is the […]
How to Find Time to Write
I preface this with the usual sentiment of everything I write where advice is offered: these are only suggestions. As adults, if we want to spend all our free time watching TV or playing video games, who am I to say you shouldn’t do that? One of the best things about being an adult: once […]
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