I’ve read a lot of writing craft books over the course of my life, and I thought it would be interesting to talk about my favorites. In general, I don’t like books that are very proscriptive. The ones who give you one correct path you must follow to accomplish your goal. The best ones help you think about things in new ways, and help you put your work […]
My Favorite Craft Books Read More »
The other day my writing group was discussing a post by Dean Wesley Smith, about five levels in a writer’s life. It was focused on their skill level, and while I found it valid, it also didn’t speak much to me. I started thinking about the various levels there are to a writer’s actual career (and I use the term loosely). There are five distinct stages to this, with a
The 5 Stages of an Author’s Career Read More »
The end of the year always makes me reflective, as you can probably tell from my last few posts. Today the subject came up on a podcast: what truths did you learn the hard way? Which made me think about that issue for myself. I’ve learned most things the hard way. I think that’s just part of life for nearly everyone, and these five things are probably not revelatory to
5 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way Read More »
A lot of people like to ask writers where their ideas come from, and how those ideas lead to the development of a whole-ass novel or series. And it’s an interesting question, one I don’t necessarily have consistent answers for. Every book is different, at least for me. Usually, the first thing that comes to me is a scenario. For the All the Promised Stars it was the
How My Books Get Written Read More »
It’s been a year since I started writing at least 1000 words a day, every day. I can honestly say the habit kind of kicked my butt and changed my life at the same time. I wrote every day from May of last year through October. After that, I started taking Sundays off. I still take one day off a week, but a couple of months ago a friend and
Things I learned writing (almost) every day for the past year. Read More »