Tag Archives: writing

Creative Friday: Celtic Urban Fantasy Teaser!!

Posted on October 7, 2022 by dbjackson

This week, I finished the first draft of the third and final book in my new project, a contemporary Celtic urban fantasy called The Chalice Wars. I have a lot to do with this newest manuscript still — I’ll discuss … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: “Hidden Brain,” Perception, and Fiction

Posted on October 5, 2022 by dbjackson

On a recent drive I began listening to the Hidden Brain podcast, with the brilliant Shankar Vedantam. I had listened to scattered episodes before, but never in a systematic way. But this was a long drive and I wound up … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: The Wisdom and Love of Friends and Family

Posted on October 3, 2022 by dbjackson

Many years ago — decades, in fact — in a rare moment of precocious insight, I wrote the following in my journal: “There is nothing like the wisdom and love of friends to remind us of who we are.” Even … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected

Posted on September 28, 2022 by dbjackson

One more post about my teaching weekend at the Hampton Roads Writers Conference . . . . As I believe I mentioned last week, I taught four classes at the event. The topics were: point of view, character development, world … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Additional Thoughts On Writing and Teaching

Posted on September 26, 2022 by dbjackson

After a wonderful weekend at the Hampton Roads Writers Workshop (kudos to Lauran Strait and all those who helped her make the conference such a success), I am reminded again of why I love to teach writing, to talk about … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)

Posted on September 21, 2022 by dbjackson

This week I head to the Hampton Roads Writers Conference in Virginia Beach. I’ll be teaching several workshops over the three days I’m there — a two-hour master class on “Point of View and Voice,” a ninety-minute class on “Character … Continue reading →

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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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