I opened up the first draft of a novel that has been sitting on my computer untouched for the last couple of years and started looking it over. The good news is that is a good story. It’s a fun read and I’m looking forward to start working on it again. I’m hoping to have […]
10 Day Writing Challenge
There is nothing worse than when you block out a few hours for some uninterrupted writing time and then when you get everything ready to get started, you run into a massive and sudden bout of writer’s block. It’s like, “What the hell, where did all of my ideas go?” This happens to me sometimes […]
3 Things to Avoid When Writing Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is a weird thing. On the surface it should be easy–just write a really short story, typically in the 500-1000 word range. But it’s not that easy. With a thousand words to tell a story with, there are a thousand mistakes you can make. From my experience with flash fiction (both as a […]
The Business and Marketing Side of Writing
This might sound strange to the casual writer, but when you wrote your first word of fiction or published your first blog post, you were, in essence, starting a small business. If you’re serious about your writing, that’s how you have to look at it. Yes, it can be a pain, but the business side […]
Keeping your eye on the ball
Our third child was born a few days ago, and yesterday we brought home our lovely little daughter. The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me. But no matter how busy life continues to be, writing remains a high priority to my family. So tonight, we put aside 45 minutes (from 7:45 – 8:30) […]
Add some substance to your fiction
Here’s another free ebook worth checking it. How to Write Fiction Stories with Substance looks particularly useful if you occasionally find your writing falling flat. It’s not so much what a book is about that leaves a lasting impression on a reader; it’s how the book makes them feel. How to Write Fiction Stories with Substance will show […]
Balancing writing with real life
So the exciting news is that my wife and I are expecting a baby girl any day now. With two young children and another one the way, it’s safe to say we’ll be pretty busy for the next, oh I don’t know, twenty years or so. But in the meantime, the next few weeks are […]
How Many Spaces?
Our current reality is dictated by an abundance of static rules that we all must live by. We stop on red. We go on green. Our kids need to go to the bathroom exactly one second after passing the rest stop on the interstate. We quickly tap the space bar twice after completing a sentence. […]