Category Archives: Writing

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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Professional Wednesday: Rethinking the Digital Revolution

Posted on February 3, 2021 by dbjackson

I’m a dinosaur. I have been in this business for more than a quarter century. My first book was published during the Clinton Administration. I could list for you all the celebrities born since that first publication, but I’ve never … Continue reading →

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Creative Friday: Story Excerpt!

Posted on January 29, 2021 by dbjackson

For today’s Creative Friday post, I offer a teaser from my short story, “The Wreck of the Sarah Mohr,” which will be appearing in the DERELICT anthology that I’m co-editing with Joshua Palmatier (to be published by Zombies Need Brains). … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Lessons From A Recent Edit

Posted on January 27, 2021 by dbjackson

As part of my new Professional Wednesday format, I intend to tie advice posts to issues I am encountering “in the moment” with my own work. And so, today, I share with you a few insights that grew out of … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Creativity and the Market

Posted on January 20, 2021 by dbjackson

As a professional writer — as a professional in the arts — I take on several career roles. I am an artist, of course. I create. I am an editor, and not just in the traditional sense of editing the … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesdays: Editors and Writers — The View From Both Sides

Posted on January 13, 2021 by dbjackson

Right now, not for the first time, I find myself on both sides of the editorial process. On the one hand, I am co-editing the DERELICT anthology, reading submissions and starting to think about how authors might want to improve … Continue reading →

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