As you probably already know, I’m the owner and editor of a small e-zine called Theme of Absence. It’s a side project of mine that began nearly a year ago and publishes a new speculative fiction piece and interview with the author every Friday. Running the site has done wonders for my editorial skills and […]
3 quick marketing things to do if you only have 15 minutes
I used to think if I didn’t have at least two hours of uninterrupted time to put away for writing that it wasn’t even worth taking the time to try for the night. My, how things have changed. On weekends, it’s not unusual to reserve a two or three hour block and get stuff done, […]
Avoiding Past Progressive Tense
One of my biggest writing mistakes (especially early on, but it stills shows up every now and then) is to slip into this annoying tense that I believe is called past progressive or past continuous. The most common place I find it is when I’m describing a setting. For example, after Bob walks into a […]
The 3 Most Convenient Places to Brainstorm
“Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a question that every writer has been asked at least once. But no matter how many writers have been asked that question, and no matter how many times, the answer is the same: “Damned if I know.” If pressed to elaborate, we might add something along the lines […]
Five Links Friday 4/17/15
And we’re back with another set of links to share for the weekend. This was a pretty good week over here, as I attended the Nebraska Writers Guild Spring Conference, and then spent the rest of the week going over the galley for the upcoming novel. Anyhow, enough about me. Here are the links! 1. […]
Avoid Using Cookie Cutter Characters
I’ve watched a lot of horror movies in my life, more than I care to count. Call me crazy, but that’s how I relieve stress. My favorites are slashers. Nothing beats watching one of the various masked-men stalking teenagers and taking them out one-by-one. The only problem with slasher films is that sometimes they are […]
What I Fear Most About My Novel
I had a great time at the Nebraska Writers Guild Spring Writers’ Conference. The speakers were incredible and I learned one piece of information that by itself made the conference worth the price of admission. I’ll talk a little more about the conference and incorporate some of what I learned in future posts, but for […]
Publishing update and cover reveal
Just wanted to check in real quick with an update on the novel and let you know where I’m at in the publishing process. The good news is that I didn’t have too much trouble meeting the deadline the editor gave me to get back to her with the requested revisions. The manuscript is now […]