Tag Archives: setting

Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Posted on May 10, 2023 by dbjackson

Trust your reader. This is editor speak for “trust yourself.” It is something I say often to many of the writers I edit. But what does it mean? I have had my own lesson in “trust your reader” in recent … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Why Fantasy, Why Magic?

Posted on March 30, 2022 by dbjackson

My oldest brother, Bill, who we lost several years ago, was an avid reader. He loved books of all sorts. Every year, he made a list of the National Book Award nominees — finalists and books on the long list … 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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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ten Books You Should Read

Posted on December 23, 2020 by dbjackson

Early in the year — even before the pandemic hit — I wrote a post in which I basically said that all writers should read. There are certain “rules” about the profession that are actually negotiable — writers don’t really … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Holidays As Part of World Building

Posted on December 9, 2020 by dbjackson

I have written about the holidays a good deal in the past few weeks, but I have yet to address holidays as a topic in a Writing-Tip Wednesday post. Now, you’re first response to this might be, “Well, why would … Continue reading →

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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Descriptions and Point of View

Posted on October 14, 2020 by dbjackson

Description does not — cannot — take place in an emotional or circumstantial vacuum. Not that long ago, I offered tips on writing scenes involving sex and violence, and essentially said that dealing with such encounters is almost entirely a … Continue reading →

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Writing Tip Wednesday: Maps, Worldbuilding, and the Creation of Story

Posted on March 25, 2020 by dbjackson

So you’re trapped in your home with too much time and too little to do. The world around you has gone to hell, and you’re fed up. Sound familiar? Yeah, thought so. So why not take the opportunity to create … Continue reading →

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A Quick-Tip Tuesday Post on Travel and Narrative

Posted on May 17, 2016 by dbjackson

We never know when we’re going to draw upon experiences in our lives, be it for setting or character, plot or emotional content, dialog or action or romance or any of the myriad other narrative elements that come, at least … Continue reading →

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Today on the Blog Tour: Black Gate and Drey’s Library

Posted on July 2, 2014 by dbjackson

The Summer 2014 Plunder of Souls Blog Tour takes me to two more sites today.  I have an article up at the blog of Black Gate Magazine on “The Life and Times of a Midlist Author.”  It’s actually a follow … Continue reading →

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Today on the Blog Tour

Posted on June 30, 2014 by dbjackson

Today, the Summer 2014 A Plunder of Souls Blog Tour shifts into high gear, or at least into a higher gear.  I have two appearances on the schedule today.  The first is at the blog of my wonderful friend, Faith … Continue reading →

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