Category: Dubious Writing Advice
The Hook Up: Yet More Fun With First Lines
A blog topic I keep coming back to is analyzing the first lines of my flash and short stories. As before, all this comes from the essay written by Stephen King called “Great Hookers I Have Known” in his now sadly out-of-print collection Secret… Continue Reading “The Hook Up: Yet More Fun With First Lines”
Three Things I Learned About Writing Media Tie-In
Today, I’m going to talk about writing media tie-in fiction for tabletop gaming companies. I actually know a thing or two about that because I’ve worked both sides of that particular fence. My last position in the industry was as a managing editor for… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned About Writing Media Tie-In”
Vampires and Zombies and Werewolves, Oh My!
I’ve touched on this before, but recent good news has me thinking about it again. There’s a sense in the genre-writing community that it’s exceedingly difficult to sell stories that feature classic monsters. I’m talking mostly about the big three: vampires, zombies, and werewolves.… Continue Reading “Vampires and Zombies and Werewolves, Oh My!”
Should You Read One-Star Reviews?
A common topic in writerly circles is whether or not authors should read bad reviews of their work on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere. Just for clarification, when I say bad review, I mean a one- or -two-star review, though I know some might consider… Continue Reading “Should You Read One-Star Reviews?”
First Draft Finish Line: What’s Your Speed?
How long should it take you to write the first draft of a novel? There’s no right answer, really, but as both a writer of novels and a former editor of authors who write novels, I’ve identified three categories that most writers fall into… Continue Reading “First Draft Finish Line: What’s Your Speed?”
Good, but Not Good Enough
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is talent. Specifically, writing talent (obvs). A lot of this comes down to my specific version of impostor syndrome, which says, “Yeah, you’re good, but you’re not good enough.” Impostor syndrome is a real asshole, huh?… Continue Reading “Good, but Not Good Enough”
Three Steps for Novel Reclamation
So, recently, I returned to a novel I abandoned about four years ago. It’s tentatively titled Hell’s Aquarium, and I wrote 35,000 words, essentially the first act, got spooked by the research I needed to do, and moved on to other projects. I’ve since… Continue Reading “Three Steps for Novel Reclamation”
Rejection: It’s Not Personal
If you’re a writer who submits fiction on the regular, you’ve undoubtedly had someone tell you rejections aren’t personal. Hell, that person might have even been me! For the most part this is true, and in this post we’re going to discuss why it… Continue Reading “Rejection: It’s Not Personal”
From Draft to Acceptance: One Story’s Journey
I often talk about rejection on this blog. I mean, hell, it’s called rejectomancy, but I think acceptances can shed some light on how we as authors can and should deal with rejection. So lets look at the path one of my stories took from… Continue Reading “From Draft to Acceptance: One Story’s Journey”
What Are They Saying: Analyzing My Editorial Feedback
When you’ve collected as many rejections as I have, you read A LOT of editor and first-reader feedback. I’m never one to put much stock in isolated feedback from a single source, but when you do this long enough, you start to see some… Continue Reading “What Are They Saying: Analyzing My Editorial Feedback”
Night Walk & Other Dark Paths
Acts of War: Flashpoint
Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
Aeryn Rudel's Rejectomancy 