Category Archives: Novels

Monday Musings: On New Releases and All That Comes With Them

Posted on July 6, 2020 by dbjackson

It is release week for Time’s Assassin, the third book in my epic fantasy/time travel series, The Islevale Cycle, and so that will be the focus of my posts this week. And I’d like to kick off the week with … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Taking Stock Halfway Through 2020

Posted on July 1, 2020 by dbjackson

As of today, July 1, we are halfway done with 2020. Yeah, I know. It seems like this year has lasted a decade. And it seems like this year has flown. Time is unnervingly elastic right now, at least from … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Special Guest, Alma Alexander!

Posted on June 10, 2020 by dbjackson

Today, I welcome my friend Alma Alexander to the blog to talk about her new novel, The Second Star. She has lots to say about the book, about writing in general, and about advice for beginning writers. Please welcome her … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: “A Feat of Association”

Posted on June 3, 2020 by dbjackson

Sometimes, originality lies not in the absolute novelty of what we come up with, but rather in the connections we make between two or more disparate influences. One of my favorite musicals of all time is West Side Story. The … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Single Point of View v. Multiple Point of View

Posted on May 27, 2020 by dbjackson

If you know me, if you have been with me in panel discussions at conventions, if you have ever received any sort of writing advice from me, or even heard me give such advice to others, I need for you … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: A Special Post on Narrative and Creativity

Posted on May 20, 2020 by dbjackson

This is a somewhat longer post than usual, but I hope you’ll read through it. It is the text of an address I gave a few years ago at our local high school to mark the Day of the Book … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ideas — Finding Them, Using Them

Posted on May 13, 2020 by dbjackson

You may notice at this point that I have yet to offer any tangible advice on dealing with or coming up with ideas. That’s right: I’m stalling. Writing about ideas is really hard. Giving advice on developing ideas is nearly … Continue reading →

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Writing Tip-Wednesday: Reevaluating Goals in the Time of Covid-19

Posted on May 6, 2020 by dbjackson

Each of us responds in his or her own way to stress and uncertainty and fear – and there is plenty of all three to go around right now. I have one friend who has been unbelievably productive during the … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: When is a Manuscript Done?

Posted on April 29, 2020 by dbjackson

There comes in the revision process a point of diminishing returns. And upon reaching that point, we need to say, “The novel is good enough, as good as I can make it with the feedback and skills and tools at … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Handling a Plot-Hole Crisis

Posted on March 18, 2020 by dbjackson

So I did what all good writers do. I panicked, flew into histrionics, convinced myself that the sky was falling and all my work had been for nothing. That was fun and productive… We writers all know the feeling: We’re … Continue reading →

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