Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Writing Prompts: Stirring or Stifling?
These days it’s not uncommon for writers to use a prompt of some kind to get the ol’ creative juices flowing. It’s often part of a writing exercise, but sometimes it’s an element of a writing contest or even a short story submission. But… Continue Reading “Writing Prompts: Stirring or Stifling?”
First Draft Drive: 2000 Words Per Day
This week I’m starting the first draft of a new novel. I’ve got my outline, and I’m (more or less) ready to go. But what’s my plan of attack? What are my goals? How quickly do I aim to finish. Let me answer those… Continue Reading “First Draft Drive: 2000 Words Per Day”
The Way I Write Part 3: Refinement
Once more we’re taking a look at my writing as it’s progressed over the last twenty years to see how it’s changed and if it’s improved. The first post focused on pretty amateurish works of fiction from the early aughts. The second post jumped… Continue Reading “The Way I Write Part 3: Refinement”
Acceptomancy?
I assume you’re all quite familiar with the term rejectomancy (or at least how I interpret it). I’ve spent years and a slightly embarrassing number of blog posts talking about what rejections mean, but what about acceptances? What if we turned our overly optimistic,… Continue Reading “Acceptomancy?”
Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile
I recently finished the latest revision of my novel, and after all the heavy lifting was done–you know, adding new scenes, tweaking character motivations, all that–it was time for one more proof before it goes back to my agent. Now I have a pretty… Continue Reading “Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile”
Get Your Hooks In: Even More Fun With First Lines
For a while now I’ve been revisiting my published stories specifically to look at the first line and determine if it’s the kind of line that immediately hooks the reader. Once again, this is because of an essay by Stephen King called “Great Hookers… Continue Reading “Get Your Hooks In: Even More Fun With First Lines”
The Post-Rejection Process
Rejections are inevitable. You can’t avoid them, you can’t (and absolutely shouldn’t) argue with them, and though they lose some of their sting over time, they’ll always have some bite. What you can do is control how you deal with rejections. For me, that… Continue Reading “The Post-Rejection Process”
Deadlines: What Can They Teach You?
I’m currently writing on deadline, something I’ve done a lot in my career. From short stories to novels, I’ve frequently had to bang out the words under the gun. That got me thinking. What has writing under a deadline taught me and how has… Continue Reading “Deadlines: What Can They Teach You?”
Submission Top Ten: Longest Waits
Recently I sent a few submission status queries and even a withdrawal letter, and it got me thinking about long wait times and how they turn out. So I went back through my submissions and pulled my top ten longest waits to see how… Continue Reading “Submission Top Ten: Longest Waits”
Why I’m Not Writing: Procrastination
Let’s talk about procrastination, one of the myriad demons that plague writers and keep them from achieving their goals. I believe procrastination generally stems from fear. You know, fear of failing, fear of writing badly, fear of that really difficult scene that’s out of… Continue Reading “Why I’m Not Writing: Procrastination”
Effectively Wild – A Baseball Horror Story
Night Walk & Other Dark Paths
Acts of War: Flashpoint
Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
Aeryn Rudel's Rejectomancy 