Continuing experiments in cross-pollination between old myths and newer storytelling genres. They didn’t have spaceships and ray guns in ancient Greece, after all. As always, you can download the PDF or read the text after the spoiler tags. However you enjoy your fiction, this is how to do it. [spoiler] Tranquility Base was a misleading… Continue reading Free Fiction: The Jovian Gambit
Tag: Writing
Back On Track
The holidays can throw everybody for a loop. I’m no different. Travel schedules, inclement weather and other factors unique to this time of year tend to play havoc with routines and timetables. Things have started to normalize a bit and it’s time I took a bit of stock of where I am now and where… Continue reading Back On Track
Platformers and Publication
Yeah. It’s like this. Here’s a somewhat strained metaphor for you, inspired by Chuck’s latest list of reasons why that novel you wrote will never get published. Platform games can be hard. REALLY hard. I mean brain-taxing finger-cramping swear-inducing endeavors. Getting a book published can be similar. It might not seem like an obvious parallel… Continue reading Platformers and Publication
Five Hundred
Today marks the 500th post on Blue Ink Alchemy. I thought it might be fun to take a peek at the last few round-number milestones, just to see how far we’ve come. Oddly, two of the four hundred-level posts have to do with Maschine Zeit. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Post 100: Consistent Characters… Continue reading Five Hundred
The Query's The Thing
I’ve discussed querying in the past, and I’ve also mentioned the manuscript-mincing site Query Shark. Since I’m back at the point of sending out queries to agent, I think it’s worth reheating the subject. Query letters are at once the most straightforward and the most complex thing a novelist can write. It’s straightforward in its… Continue reading The Query's The Thing
Full Burners
Courtesy Terribleminds The best way for me to avoid feeling the doldrums of both the season and my situation are to stay busy. I throw myself into my writing during the commute and immerse myself in games and other media while I’m home. Yes, I’m an awful procrastinator when it comes to chores because of… Continue reading Full Burners
Little Changes
Think of a favorite story of yours, or a beloved character. Chances are there are things about that story or character you take for granted. Here are some examples: Superman fights for truth, justice and the American way. Aragorn is proud of his heritage and wishes to reclaim his throne. Buffy learns of her destiny… Continue reading Little Changes
Revision's A Hatchet Job
A couple of weeks ago I touched on the subject of rewriting your novel. Wendig’s Writing Haus continues to spew fantastic advice on editing, and this mostly concerns phase two, or what he recommends as phase two. When you edit for content, after all, you’re doing something particular with the manuscript: you’re revising it. And… Continue reading Revision's A Hatchet Job
Why I Write
If you ask a writer for advice, quite a few of them will simply tell you to read. I’m reading the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire and I may start the new year with a fresh read of Lord of the Rings. I also read articles on Fark and the Escapist.… Continue reading Why I Write
Don't Fear The Rewrite
The truth that every novelist has to face is that you’re not going to get everything right in the first draft. Nobody does. It’s likely that George Lucas wrote a single draft of his prequel scripts, and look how those turned out. No, multiple drafts is more than just a means of editing out grammar… Continue reading Don't Fear The Rewrite
