Still on the hunt for a dayjob, still struggling day to day, and still encountering more failures than successes. In light of that, here’s a post from 5 years ago about dealing with failure. Human beings, being mortal creatures, are bound to mess things up sooner or later. This is true in every endeavor an… Continue reading From the Vault: "What do you mean, I'm doing it wrong?"
Category: How-To
From The Vault: PT: Handling Rejection
This is as relevant today as it was five years ago. Also, I’ve been running this blog for over five years. Yikes. Maybe you got a letter. It could be something you received electronically. One way or another, a submission or entry upon which you’ve spent time and energy has been rejected. Now, I’m not… Continue reading From The Vault: PT: Handling Rejection
Throwback Thursday: The Fine Art of Selling Yourself
Technically, this is a From the Vault entry. But it’s Thursday! So let’s call it Throwback Thursday instead, just to mix things up. I’ve been running this blog for over five years now. This is an entry from the very early days. Enjoy! So you’ve written the next great American novel, or at least a… Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The Fine Art of Selling Yourself
From the Vault: Turning Negatives into Positives
How’s NaNoWriMo going? Are you frustrated? Angry? Maybe feeling some despair? Read on. This might help. Nobody feels fantastic all the time, at least not without heavy drinking or severe medication. Creative people are, by and large, emotional and thus emotional blindsides getting hit can knock you right off of the rails you’d been riding… Continue reading From the Vault: Turning Negatives into Positives
Character Creation
Sometimes, I miss Warhammer Online. This morning I read a rather brief guide on Writing Believable Characters from the Young Adult Fantasy Guide. It’s a great overview of what to do right and what to avoid when putting your characters together. I highly recommend you go give it a read if you’re thinking of starting… Continue reading Character Creation
PT: Unplug, Dammit
I know SEPTA’s got issues. A little inclement weather throws entire train lines out of whack. Engineers desperate to keep on schedule will leave the platform a minute early. Buses plow into eateries. No system is perfect. But I relish my train rides. I don’t pollute, I don’t get bent out of shape over traffic… Continue reading PT: Unplug, Dammit
The Home Stretch
Maybe it’s just me, as I amble towards the end of my current project, doing my utmost to follow my own tenth rule of writing fiction. There’s something that I’ve noticed over the past week. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting into ‘conference’ mode, or maybe this is a side effect of continuing to get… Continue reading The Home Stretch
Diving Right In
I’d really like to say, “This is a subject that requires no introduction.” It’d be a funny way to open up the subject of exposition, since a lot of stories start out with something expository. Especially in genre fiction, more often than not, the world or worlds in which the tale is set will be… Continue reading Diving Right In
PT: Bouncing Back
It’s been a while since I’ve put together a PT post, and this seems about the right time. Why? Because after the last week I’ve had, wallowing in self-loathing and lamenting my state of affairs, I realized there was something I desperately needed. A swift kick in the ass. Going through transitions in life can… Continue reading PT: Bouncing Back
Describing Description
I know a few people who don’t agree with Confused Matthew‘s opinions on movies, even if he has good points to make. But one thing that took me aback was how much I appreciated him pointing out that 2001: A Space Odyssey didn’t really do much in a narrative sense. Oh, it was masterfully shot… Continue reading Describing Description
