Emerging writers, who want to improve, will ask for feedback. Where do they go in the time of covid-19? Writing groups on social media. Why is this a bad thing? Because trolls aren’t living under bridges anymore, they’re online. Not only trolls, but a lot of ‘experts’ who parrot what they learned without real understanding[…]
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Questions that Come up in Social Media Writing Groups: How Do I Write a Book?
The short answer is there’s no one way to write a book. The variance of style and plot depend on genre and then there are those who subvert those plots intentionally. That’s what happens when you have a bunch of creative thinkers making up stories. I’m not going to get into the structure of a[…]
How to Become a Better Writer without an MFA in Six Ridiculously Hard Steps
For whatever reason, time, money, living situation, etc. not everyone can go to school and get a masters in creative writing. Does this mean you have to give up on your dream to become a writer?Absolutely not. What it does mean is that you must dedicate time and effort, and have to be a little[…]
Why Am I Posting Excerpts from a Rough Draft?
Every writer has to start somewhere right? There those of us out there that’s never written a novel and don’t know the process at all. Want to know why? There is no secret formula to writing. Yes. You need a plot. Yes. You need character arcs, motivation, and theme, but there is absolutely no single[…]
How to Get that Writing in a Coffee Shop Vibe at Home
I found a lot of my friends in the writing community are having a tough time focusing. The Covid-19 blergh mind has hit us all, even the introverts are ready to do their introvert-y thing again. Those of us who have compromised immune systems, are getting outside for exercise and necessities, but saying no thank[…]
Plotting Versus Pantsing Versus Plantsing
What’s pantsing, you say? In the writing world you run into the strangest vocabulary. We literally make up things for a living (or hobby) so it’s no surprise that we also make up words. Pantsing is derived from the expression “flying by the seat of your pants”. In writing terminology, pantsing means to write a[…]
It’s Just Entertainment, Why are You Making It about Politics?
Most of society, who has the privilege to do so, thinks that novels, movies, and television shows are purely for entertainment. They are the folks also under the belief writers, actors, and other people in the arts don’t have “real jobs.” I write full time. It is a real job. I don’t get paid until[…]
The Rise of YA Science Fiction
I was recently in a Zoom meeting with a group of writers. One thing that was mentioned in the meeting was that YA Science Fiction doesn’t sell. I found the statement odd, but I live in a house filled with teenagers, and before quarantine had a constant influx of 13-16 year olds raiding my pantry[…]
Ten Days into NaNoWriMo and Two Thousand Words Behind (And That’s Okay)
The point of NaNoWriMo, for me at least, is not to write for the sake of word count. It’s to make a habit of writing daily. Usually I can knock 1667 words a day out, no problem and I’ve won every year I’ve participated. However, I usually have to trash those 50k and rewrite the[…]
A Prolific Writer of Unpublished Works Wrote a Novel
I’ve called myself a writer for as long as I can remember. Storyteller might be more accurate. I started making up stories and telling them to my friends while waiting for the bus and older family members whenever they asked me how I was doing when I was four or five. My tall tales were[…]
An Introduction to Writerly Thoughts, Aspirations, Life, and the Occasional “Gods Why Do I Do This?”
Perhaps not the most original title for a post, especially the first, but I’ll go with it.I’m starting this blog for many reasons, and it will include many topics regarding writing in the fantasy and sci-fi genres (I used to write dystopian fiction too, but reality got too close to the imagined.) and writing in[…]