What makes a hero a HERO? Some people like to think a hero is born special, a Chosen One with a destiny written in the stars. Some people think the hero is simply the right person, in the right place, at the right time. Maybe they’re both right. Either way,…
Oh, the antagonist. There are people who say the hero (or protagonist) defines the book. It’s certainly the hero that people remember. Frodo will not be forgotten. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker were role models for a generation. Harry Potter? He was such a famous protagonist they didn’t even need…
Got a plot? If you’ve completed the exercises from Day 1 of NaNo boot camp (and you may not have because some of them are multi-day projects – don’t stress it) then you know how you write. Step two for planning a successful NaNoWriMo is finding a plot. NaNoWriMo attracts…
The best way to fail is to not prepare. You think you’re going to start NaNoWriMo November 1st with no preparation, no practice, and no prior thought? Well, honey, that’s just setting yourself up for failure. No worries, though. I am a certified* NaNoWriMo Boot Camp instructor. Every Tuesday and…
Originally Posted On 10/15/14 Since the invention of the printing press there’s been a rumor that you need to know some secret to get your book published. There’s always this idea that it’s who you know, or that some magical phrase in your query letter will get your book a…
“Editing can’t be that hard,” said a well-meaning friend as I politely declined an invite to a weekend camping trip. I couldn’t go, I needed to finish the edits for DECOHERENCE. And editing isn’t easy. See all that red? That’s the opening chapters of DECOHERENCE during the first round of…
… only great re-writers. The sooner you accept that your first drafts will be steaming piles of squishy word vomit, the sooner you will be able to write the story you want to write. First drafts are nasty. They are disgusting. They make you want to curl up in a…
Originally Posted 1/17/13 Forgive my abuse of beautiful Jane Austen quote, but it is the truth. Every bestseller out there that I’ve read (which does exclude a few with sparkling undead and men named Grey) have subplots. Think Dresden, LOTR, Price of the Stars, Lost Fleet, or any of the…
Originally Posted On 2/5/13 Over the years I’ve taken a middle-of-the-road approach to critique groups. I waffled. I tried to see and accept opinions that I didn’t entirely agree with. And now I give up. You need a critique group before you publish. When you make the choice to move…
You wouldn’t think there was a sadness attached to success. There should be elation. Perhaps celebration. There should be parades, and trumpets, joy! But as I clean my desk tonight and tuck away the notes and scraps and post-is associated with DECOHERENCE I realize I’m burying the corpse of Jane…