Category Archives: Writing Life

Monday Musings: Easing Back In

Posted on April 26, 2021 by dbjackson

Dear Friends, About five weeks ago, I announced on various platforms that I would be withdrawing from social media for a while, and would also be delaying the releases of some upcoming projects. My announcement prompted expressions of sympathy and … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Thoughts on Teaching Writing

Posted on March 17, 2021 by dbjackson

As I have mentioned previously, this past weekend, and the weekend before, I participated in the Futurescapes Writers’ Workshop as both a lecturer and a workshop instructor. I gave a talk on writing epic fantasy, and then ran critique groups … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Writing Scared

Posted on March 15, 2021 by dbjackson

It often takes me some time to settle on a topic for my Monday Musings post. Some weeks one issue or another is such an obvious choice that composing the post is easy. Other weeks I can struggle with the … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: The Two World-Builds

Posted on March 10, 2021 by dbjackson

They don’t care that the twelfth king of Hamsterdom was Belchamiethius IV, known to his subjects as “Conquerer of the Exercise Wheel.” They don’t need to know the names of each mountain peak in the Twelve Dunce Cap Range. This … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Writing All Sorts of Stuff

Posted on March 3, 2021 by dbjackson

As I mentioned in last week’s Professional Wednesday post, I have a teaching gig coming up. I’ll be leading a couple of critique workshops, and this Saturday, I’ll be giving a long talk on writing epic fantasy. This opportunity came … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesdays: Lessons From Manuscript Critiques — Simple Is Better

Posted on February 24, 2021 by dbjackson

I am reading stories right now for a teaching gig I have coming up in early March. I’ll be running a critique workshop, and so I not only have to read and comment on the manuscripts, I also should take … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: My Declaration of Creative Independence

Posted on February 22, 2021 by dbjackson

So many professional issues on my mind today — I’m finding it hard to organize my thoughts into something coherent. These remain hard times for creators. Writers, musicians and composers, visual artists of all sorts, actors and directors, dancers and … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Thoughts After Virtual Boskone

Posted on February 17, 2021 by dbjackson

Boskone was held this past weekend. Virtually, of course. It has quickly become one of my favorite conventions, and it was the only in-person convention I attended last year (not counting the SAGA professional workshop) before COVID shut down the … Continue reading →

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Thieftaker Cover Reveal! THE LOYALIST WITCH

Posted on February 11, 2021 by dbjackson

I shared this with subscribers to my newsletter and Facebook Group on Tuesday, along with another in a series of teasers from the new Thieftaker project. Now, here for all to see, is the artwork for the new Thieftaker novellas … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Placing Your Inciting Moment In the Right Spot

Posted on February 10, 2021 by dbjackson

Generally speaking, writers — from beginners to professionals — know what it means to have an inciting moment for our stories. The inciting moment is the occurrence that sets in motion all the events that constitute our narrative — Luke … Continue reading →

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