Tag Archives: writing advice

Flash Writing Tips: Three Rules I Follow When Creating Magic

Posted on May 4, 2012 by dbjackson

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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Flash Writing Tip: Accepting Criticism from an Editor

Posted on April 6, 2012 by dbjackson

I’m here at Marcon, and it’s late.  I’ve had a full day — a long drive, a panel, a signing; I’m ready to go to sleep. But today’s panel was on “How To Be Edited,” and since I was the … Continue reading →

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Writing Tips: Writing Is Hard

Posted on February 21, 2012 by dbjackson

Sounds sort of weird, I know.  I mean, what kind of tip is “Writing is hard?” In all honesty, it might be the most important tip I ever post to this site. Let me start by saying that this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Friendship, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing Tips: Trusting Your Reader

Posted on February 14, 2012 by dbjackson

Recently, while reading through a wonderful short story written by a Master’s student with whom I’m working, I found myself writing a comment in the page margin that rang all too familiar.  The student had just had one of her … Continue reading →

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Web Site Update and News!

Posted on February 11, 2012 by dbjackson

So, I have updated the D. B. Jackson website to reflect a few recent developments.  First of all, I have been invited to be a special guest at a couple of upcoming conventions — Con*Stellation, in Huntsville, Alabama (October 2012) … Continue reading →

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Writing Tips: Character Development Starting Points

Posted on February 7, 2012 by dbjackson

Aspiring writers are often told that they should “write what they know,” which I’ve always felt is a strange bit of advice for people trying to make their way in a profession founded upon feats of imagination.  And to my … Continue reading →

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Writing Tips: More on Dialogue — Conversations As Narrative

Posted on January 27, 2012 by dbjackson

The other day, in my first Writing Tips post, I wrote about said-bookisms and the challenges of dialogue attribution.  Just to reiterate, the key to effective dialogue attribution is showing readers the emotions and thoughts of those characters who speak … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Friendship, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Writing Tips: Said-Bookisms, the Obscure Sin that Can Doom a Manuscript

Posted on January 25, 2012 by dbjackson

I’ve been writing professionally for more than fifteen years, and I’ve been reading avidly for far longer.  Over the years the publishing market has seen sea-changes in almost every respect, with ramifications for the business, the very act of reading, … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments