Tag Archives: writing tips

Writing-Tip Wednesday: How To Handle Profanity In Your Writing

Have you watched the HBO series Deadwood? It’s a Western, the creative child of the brilliant David Milch. It’s violent, brutally realistic, and absolutely the most profane thing I have ever watched, with the possible exception of the Academy Award-winning … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Setting, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: How To Handle Profanity In Your Writing

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Writing Musically

It will come as no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a huge fan of The West Wing, in particular Seasons 1-4, when series creator Aaron Sorkin was writing nearly every episode, and his creative partner, Thomas … Continue reading

Posted in Music, Novels, Reading, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Writing Musically

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Let’s Talk Trunk Novels

A good idea remains such, regardless of the market and our inability to execute that idea when first it comes to us. Sometimes we need to grow into the ambition of certain projects. Let me tell you about my trunk … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Fantasy, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Let’s Talk Trunk Novels

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Short Fiction Anthologies — When Does an Idea Become a Story?

What is the difference between an idea and a story? It sounds like a basic question, but we have just begun the Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter for the coming year’s anthologies, and once again I am hoping to co-edit one … Continue reading

Posted in Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Short Fiction Anthologies — When Does an Idea Become a Story?

Writing-Tip Wednesday: The ABCs of Character

Last week, I wrote about befriending our characters, as a way of using empathy to improve our character development. This week I would like to continue the discussion of character work by taking a slightly different approach to creating and … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Novels, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: The ABCs of Character

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Befriend Your Characters…And Be-Character Your Friends

This will be a relatively brief Writing-Tip Wednesday post. It’s a lazy, hot, stormy day and I’m feeling, well, lazy and hot… So far this year, I have used my Wednesday posts to offer advice about any number of things, … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Family, Friendship, kids, Novels, parenting, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Befriend Your Characters…And Be-Character Your Friends

Writing-Tip Wednesday: World Building Lessons I’d Forgotten

Back in early March, I posted about creating magic systems, and said then that I expected I would post about world building at least once more over the course of the year. And so here I am, making myself a … Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, History, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Research, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: World Building Lessons I’d Forgotten

Writing-Tip Wednesday: The Allure of the New Shiny

All of us who write have felt it. Many of us have given into it. Others have resisted. Personally, I’ve done both — with different projects and also within a single one. We loves it and we hates it, but … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: The Allure of the New Shiny

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Self-Defining Success

As you know at this point, we are in the midst of release week for Time’s Assassin, the third book in my epic fantasy/time travel series, The Islevale Cycle. For today’s writing tip, I am going to address a matter … Continue reading

Posted in Angry Robot Books, Business of publishing, Falstaff Books, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Publishing, Time's Assassin, Time's Children, Time's Demon, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Self-Defining Success

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Taking Stock Halfway Through 2020

As of today, July 1, we are halfway done with 2020. Yeah, I know. It seems like this year has lasted a decade. And it seems like this year has flown. Time is unnervingly elastic right now, at least from … Continue reading

Posted in Islevale Cycle, Novels, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Taking Stock Halfway Through 2020