I’m happy to say I’m better than half-way through my NanoNovel. This has proven to be a very good thing since I haven’t felt like writing much the past few days. You see, I was laid off from my job last Friday and I’m still reeling from the blow. The layoff wasn’t entirely unexpected; I had heard rumblings that it might be coming as early as August. Still, you never really think it will happen to you, do you? I know I didn’t. It’s not all doom and gloom; I got a bit of severance and the job market here is still very strong AND I have a pretty good stock of experience and skills to draw from. Even so, […]
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The Writing Life: Connecting with People
You might be asking yourself why I would want to talk about connecting with people. After all, as a writer, you write a story and people read it, right? They buy your book, you collect the money and write another and the cycle of reader/writer life simply goes on in perpetuity. I suspect those of you who have some inkling about the challenges writer’s face are already laughing. If you aren’t laughing, I think you might need a small (or large) dose of reality. The truth is, your writing won’t resonate with everyone. It has probably happened to you too; you pick up a book and start reading it only to quickly lose interest and put it down. It’s happened […]
Read moreThe Writer’s Life – Dealing with Low Motivation
Let me begin by saying that I love to write. Most days I enjoy building worlds, creating unique characters and letting stories unfold. Note that I said “Most days”. There are times when I simply cannot get myself motivated to write. Some might call it writer’s block, but not me. For me it’s usually because I have too many things I want to write. I kid you not, too much of a good thing can prove overwhelming. That was the case the past 10 days or so. I have no shortage of writing and projects on the go: my fantasy novel rewrite, my Critters submissions, my Nano novel to plot, query letters to send out and the list goes on. […]
Read moreToo much description can be… too much
I have trouble writing scenes. Usually I feel that my description of the setting is too lean. I like to let people use their imaginations, but I don’t think I give them enough to work with. That is a far cry from how I used to write. When I first started writing I was always trying to paint beautiful pictures that flew on wings of purple prose. I thought I needed to be both poetic and thorough to be a good writer. Somewhere along the way (during my writing course, I think) I did a complete 180 degree turn and went minimal. Which way is right? Looking at the writing I’m doing now I would say that neither is the […]
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