About Writing Archives - Page 5 of 54

Write What You Know?

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Michell

One of the first pieces of writing advice I ever read was, “Write what you know.” I used to think I knew what that meant. I mean, if I read Science Fiction and Fantasy, then I clearly know those genres and should write in them, shouldn’t I? So, the first novel I ever finished was a Fantasy novel. It turned out pretty good (in fact, it will be coming out in August this year), but it was a real slog to write. Was I missing something? The second novel was much better, partially because I knew I could write a book at that point. But it was also a story I had thought about for years, roughly based on comic […]

Is Theme Important in Writing?

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Michell

Theme – What I Used to Think There was a time (early on in my writing) when I thought paying attention to theme was dumb. The story is the story. What is the point to adding unnecessary baggage? I would poo-poo people who talked about how important it was to identify the theme early in your stories. Again, if you had good characters and a good plot or plots, the rest would take care of itself, wouldn’t it? That was then, this is now As you might have already gathered, my opinion has changed regarding theme. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve become more mature in my writing or simply more aware, but I now believe theme is important. […]

First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Michell

First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story There is a quote attributed to Terry Pratchett that says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Being a huge fan of Terry Pratchett (and wanting to be Terry Pratchett when I grow up), that gives me hope as a writer. I mean, if you have ever read his work, you will find such a collection or wit, insight and sheer snark, you would wonder how anyone could possibly live up to the example he has set. I know, I certainly feel inadequate to meet the example he set; that is I did when I assumed his work came onto the page fully formed from his brain. Now, I’m not so […]

Mik Murdoch 4 is Underway

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Michell

Mik Murdoch 4 is Underway The story for Mik Murdoch 4 has been in my mind for well over a year. The problem was, I was busy with other books that had to come first. When I finished the last of those books (Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters) it was finally time to work on Mik. So, I began plotting the story. And then I plotted some more. I could have gone on with nothing but plotting for weeks if I had let myself. But the characters were starting to give me lines for the story. It was time to write. It Started Slow I’ve been in editing mode for quite a while now, which is considerably different than […]

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