Category Archives: Writing

Professional Wednesday: Once More Unto The Breach — To Outline or Not, Redux

Posted on September 14, 2022 by dbjackson

After attending DragonCon and speaking on panels about various aspects of writing, I have found myself thinking—yet again—about the age-old debate between those who outline their books and those who don’t. Or, between planners and pantsers, in the parlance of … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: What To Tell Aspiring Writers About The Current Literary Market

Posted on September 7, 2022 by dbjackson

If we have to write — and I’ve always felt that writing is an imperative, something I do to tame the voices in my head, the stories burning in my heart — then we should do it to satisfy that … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings (On Tuesday): Back From DragonCon

Posted on September 6, 2022 by dbjackson

I have spent this past weekend at DragonCon, catching up with friends, meeting new people, and returning an air of normalcy to my professional calendar. To be honest, I went into the weekend a bit reluctantly. I was excited to … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Writing For a Themed Anthology . . . And My Story Idea Revealed!

Posted on August 31, 2022 by dbjackson

With the Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter well underway, and our pledges slowly creeping up on our ambitious funding goal (four anthologies instead of three this year, to mark ZNB’s 10th anniversary!), it is time for my yearly “Writing For a … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Taming My Inner Eeyore

Posted on August 29, 2022 by dbjackson

The hard part of getting back into posting isn’t the first post. It’s the second, and the ones after that. In part, I retreated from social media six or seven weeks back because I couldn’t imagine carrying the emotional load … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Writing Through — A #HoldOnToTheLight Post

Posted on August 24, 2022 by dbjackson

After running away from social media for six weeks, and ignoring publicity opportunities and the like, I feel a little funny offering any professional advice to anyone on anything. Which, I realize, is entirely wrong-headed. Sometimes the stuff we write … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Wading Back In (and Why I Left)

Posted on August 22, 2022 by dbjackson

Yes, I’m back, dipping my toes cautiously into the social media waters, gauging my mental state. I have a lot going on professionally right now, and I need to write about it, to boost the signal (as the market phrase … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With My Latest Editorial Feedback

Posted on July 6, 2022 by dbjackson

I’ve written many times before about dealing with edits on a story or novel manuscript, and I don’t want to repeat myself any more than necessary. But I have just received feedback from my editor on the first book in … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: One Hot-Mess of a Writing Post

Posted on June 29, 2022 by dbjackson

Dispensing writing advice when one is struggling a bit with one’s own work can be somewhat strange. Just ask . . . well, me. I am more than 50,000 words into my current work-in-progress, the third book in my Celtic … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Understand Your Contracts

Posted on June 22, 2022 by dbjackson

Today’s post won’t be overly long. It doesn’t need to be, as the advice is fairly straightforward. One of the advantages of having an agent, beyond increased chances of selling our work to a traditional publisher, and increased access to … Continue reading →

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