November 1 kicks off National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo). If you are a writer in need of a kick in the pants – or an aspiring writer looking for accountability to get the ball rolling – November is the month for you! If you are not familiar with it – November is National Novel Writer’s…
Maybe the better question is why wouldn’t my ideas be worth sharing? I have a lot of different things going through my head. Some of them are stories for fantastical worlds. People, places, and situations that – as far as I know – exist only in my imagination. Others are a reflection of my perspective…
I sometimes wonder which – if any – of the muses speaks to me. The muse is upon me! I have this awesome idea to create this amazing thing! Okay, this is not true. But it’s a statement I’ve heard – and even said – before. Having a muse is like having an invisible angel…
This question of publishing – self or traditional – might not be one and done. For a time, in the late 90s, I had a literary agent. I was thrilled to have an agent. It meant I had a much better chance of getting published. However, fantasy – the finished work I had for publishing…
Do readers make the writer? I’d bet I am not the only one who ponders this. First and foremost – thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read the words I share here with you. Attracting readers to put their eyes on my work is a challenge. It takes an odd and hard…
Being expected to create art or write for free to “get seen” is a slippery slope. Many years ago, a local magazine in the town I worked in asked me to write an article for them. Since I was looking for any opportunity to get published and get out there, I took it. I wrote…
Some distractions are good while others get in the way. Today has not been a good writing day. I’ve been distracted by a bad distraction – but one that’s wholly outside of my control. The loud tenants living in the apartment above us moved out. Today, however, the management company for our complex has contractors…
I get stuck sometimes – but that’s not writer’s block. Lots of people have heard of writer’s block. It’s an unfortunate occurrence when a writer can’t write. No ideas are coming, the story isn’t working, or they just have lost passion for their art. I’m not entirely sure I believe in writer’s block. While I’ve…
All self-published authors are up against a few pitfalls. To my knowledge, the advantage to getting published traditionally (in addition to them doing marketing) comes down to polish. They hone the story, handle formatting, and make sure what they put out is so polished that it positively glitters. As a self-published author, I do my…
Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it. Despite primarily reading and writing sci-fi and fantasy, my all-time favorite work of fiction is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. If you are not familiar with this book, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a great story, well-written, and has an impactful and positive life…
