A former student called me last week, completely down in the mouth about her writing. She said, “I’ve been working for years and seen no success at all, just one rejection after another. I think I ought to quit.” I told her that if publishing was the reason she was writing, then maybe she should [...]
Archive for January, 2008
Good Advice
Posted in writing on January 27, 2008 | 3 Comments »
A Vision Of…
Posted in fiction, writing on January 24, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Last night I created a new page for posting some of my stories. I uploaded a short piece that I wrote last summer, called Unbridled. Feel free to check it out, if you like, and leave a comment here or on the stories page.
Thanks.
Seven Methods For Seven Novels
Posted in writing on January 23, 2008 | 5 Comments »
A couple nights ago, while wandering around online, I happened across the web site of Randy Ingermanson. I had never heard of him before, but he has a ten-step method for writing a novel. The “snowflake method,” he calls it, because it’s based on how a fractal snowflake is generated, by starting with a simple [...]
Put One Foot In Front Of The Other
Posted in writing on January 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I finished editing Book Two this morning. (Whoo-Hoo!) I sent a copy off to a friend who has been a trusted reader / technical adviser for quite a few years. I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of it.
Now I need to move on to the next step, which is… dang, I don’t [...]
Don’t Be Afraid, It’s Only Business.
Posted in writing on January 13, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Whenever I read about the process of contacting agents or editors in order to pitch my novel, I am told that I should be familiar with the market. I need to know what books have been published lately that are similar to mine, and how my novel will fit into the current marketplace.
This seems like [...]
All Alone, Except In My Head
Posted in writing on January 7, 2008 | 2 Comments »
In the current (I think) issue of Writer’s Digest, there’s a review of Erica Jong’s memoir, Seducing The Dream. I’m not familiar with Jong’s writing, but there is a quote from her that caught my eye.
“Writing a book in your twenties that becomes a worldwide phenomenon hardly prepares you for the silence and despair [...]
The Road Ahead
Posted in writing on January 1, 2008 | 2 Comments »
As I sit here on the first of January, with the 366 days of 2008 spread out before me like so many blank sheets of paper, I think that my goal this year will be to type something meaningful on each one of them. Whether it is something small or large does not matter.
“I edited [...]
