Tag Archives: novels

Flash Writing Tips: Three Rules I Follow When Creating Magic

This post is about creating magic.  Literally.  More to the point, it’s about creating a viable magic system for your fantasy story or novel.  A couple of months back I wrote about worldbuilding and might have alluded briefly to magic … Continue reading

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THIEFTAKER Giveaway on Goodreads!

Tor Books, the publisher of Thieftaker, book I of the Thieftaker Chronicles, is doing a Thieftaker book giveaway on Goodreads!  Ten copies of the book are up for grabs!  But in order to have a chance, you have to register.  … Continue reading

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Flash Writing Tip: Research — How Much Is Enough?

Researching the Thieftaker books and stories has been a great deal of fun.  Lots of work, yes, but incredibly interesting and gratifying.  And weaving that research into the text of the books has been fun, too.  There is something incredibly … Continue reading

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THIEFTAKER: 10 Weeks and Counting!

The official release date for THIEFTAKER, book I of the Thieftaker Chronicles, is exactly ten weeks from today.  That may seem a long way off to you, but given that I’ve been counting down for well over a year, it … Continue reading

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The Great Debate: Plotting Versus Pantsing

No doubt you’ve heard this discussion before.  Some writers rely on advanced plotting when writing their books.  They outline in advance of actually writing the book, sometimes plot point by plot point, sometimes chapter by chapter, sometimes even line by … Continue reading

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Preparations For THIEFTAKER Release, #1

Last day of March.  On Tuesday of this coming week, April 3, we will be exactly 13 weeks away from the July 3 release of THIEFTAKER.  I’m sure that sounds far away to you, but I have been waiting for … Continue reading

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Today In History: Lighting the Fuse

On this day, in 1765, the English Parliament passed legislation that would come to be known in the North American colonies as the Stamp Act.  In the wake of the Seven Years’ War against France (referred to in the colonies … Continue reading

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Flash Writing Tip! Making Our Imagined Worlds Come Alive

Okay, birthday is done, but I’m still on the road.  Time for another Flash Writing Tip.  Today’s topic:  Worldbuilding! The object of worldbuilding for writers of speculative fiction is really no different from the goal of mainstream writers setting up … Continue reading

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Writing Tips: Point of View and Voice, part II — Choosing Your POV Character(s)

Last week, I wrote the first installment in this series of Writing Tips posts on point of view and voice.  As I indicated in that post, writers trying to determine how to approach point of view for their particular projects … Continue reading

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Writing Tips: Point of View and Voice, part I — Overview

Today, I begin a series of posts on point of view and voice in storytelling.  This topic will take several posts, because it is arguably THE key element in storytelling.  We’ll kick off the discussion today with an overview of … Continue reading

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