Opportunities are Everywhere

When I first thought about writing as a career I looked around and wondered where I could possibly get the experience I felt I needed to “make it”. I knew I would improve as a writer simply by writing but I also knew that, with proper feedback, I could grow as a writer that much faster. My problem was I had no idea where to go to get it or even how to go about it. That situation has changed and for the better. Now that I’ve been writing and researching and networking with others for a while, I’ve come to realize just how many opportunities are out there to both write and receive feedback. Obviously, you can always write stories […]

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Conventions: Not Just for Dressing Up

Who here has ever gone to a convention of one kind or another? Don’t be shy, raise your hands high if you have. Now, how many of you have been to a convention where another writer or a publisher or an editor or an agent has been a guest, a panel participant or a known quantity? And what did you do at that convention? Did you meet any of the aforementioned people? I attended ConVersion (a local SciFi/Fantasy convention) not too long ago. My goal was to meet one of the publishers who I knew to be coming and maybe meet Terry Brooks. Let me begin by saying that I am not the most outgoing person alive. Still, I went […]

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Who Me Am and Where Me Be?

There are times when I think I’ve read too many “How to Write” books. Every book I read says something similar; show don’t tell. That statement should be pretty self-explanatory, but I think I might have missed something. I would call my writing style a bit minimalist. I tend to write with the idea that the reader will want to use their imagination to ‘see’ the story in their minds. I would much rather give too little detail than too much. I’ve also read/heard that everyone sees characters differently. Too much description of what a character looks like could pull the reader out of the story. Again, I like to err on the side of too little. Maybe that’s because […]

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A Laugh Out Loud Moment

I was thinking the other day (and no, that isn’t the funny part) about my goal to see one of my books in print and I realized just how far I’ve come as a writer. Let me explain. When I first entertained the idea of writing a book and actually getting it published it was as far away from reality for me as the possibility that I might one day walk on the moon. I knew I enjoyed writing and I felt I could probably write something decent if I was given enough time. I just never expected anyone to want to read my work. After I finished writing my first book, I actually started to think I could pull […]

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