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On Writing #8: Drafting Cover Letter Blurbs and Synopses, Or How to Realize You Can't Really Write
Ever wondered why writers complain endlessly about writing that novel blurb on the cover letter, or writing the synopsis that every agent says are standard for the industry, but every agent also says must be a different length? (C'mon guys! Are they supposed to be 1 or 2 or 3 or 5 or 8 or 10 pages, anyway ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #7: Emotion -- The Tie that Binds
I was reading a story the a few months ago and found myself entranced. Words danced off the page and turned to stick figures and scenes flickered forth from my braincase like a movie projected on silver fog. And what, pray tell, caused this? A fan-fic that my wife wrote, for the TV show Supernatural ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #6: Broken Circles - Returning to the Center
Writers often say that a story should be a circle ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #5: Time Management Blues -- Finding the Time and Will to Write
I just got back from vacation, and I'm trying to get back into my writing and exercise and everything-else habits. Because that's what writing or exercise or anything you want really want to needs to be: a habit. If your hobbies aren't habits, you won't do them ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #4: The Secret to Consistent Productivity and Getting Things Done -- Momentum
Sorry there haven't been any writing theory posts for the last two weeks, but I was still recovering from Florida and the end of the novel. I've been suffering from what I call a "lack of momentum ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #3: The Myth of "Finding Your Vioce" and How to Develop One (Or Two Or Three) of Your Own
One thing I've seen endless posts on is "Finding Your Voice", as if there is a magical voice that is yours -- and one day you'll just run into your voice and BOOM you'll be a real writer with a real style ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #2: Rewriting -- the Mysterious Process brought to light
Rewriting was the great mystery for me. It took a long time for me to come to grips with it, and only now has it started to feel easy, natural, and enjoyable -- which is to say, only now has it become what it should have been all along. Now I am not one of the world's great writers and I don't pretend to be, but for a while I was looking for help ( Read more... ) -
On Writing #1: Thoughts on the novel process - Going the Distance
Well, I'm pretty new to the novel process -- I've only written 3 (2 in serious states of disrepair and 1 just finished, and NONE of them sold) -- but I'd like to express my feelings at this early stage on the primary challenges I faced since I believe these problems are common to most other writers ( Read more... )