Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Dispensing Dubious Writerly Wisdom: An Interview
Fellow Seattleite, blogger, and aspiring writer Dawn Claflin recently interviewed me about writerly things for her blog. In the interview I give highly dubious advice about writing and rejection as well as recount a bit of my meandering path to fame and fortune (Hah!).… Continue Reading “Dispensing Dubious Writerly Wisdom: An Interview”
Characters: They Walk Among Us
I live in downtown Seattle, a place populated with all kinds of characters: bearded hipsters, posh business-folk, foreign tourists of all nationalities, goth millennials, and random weirdos, just for starters. As such, I do a lot of people watching to get ideas for characters in… Continue Reading “Characters: They Walk Among Us”
Proofing Hit List Part One: Definitely Overused
When I finish the first draft of a story or novel, I let it sit for a few days, then I go back through it like a literary hit man, ruthlessly pounding my delete key like the trigger on a suppressed .45. Notice I… Continue Reading “Proofing Hit List Part One: Definitely Overused”
Word Count Goals of the Rich & Famous
Here’s a nifty little article I found on a blog called Writers Write that details the writing habits, and more specifically, the word count goals of 39 famous authors. The article is called The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors, and it features big names like… Continue Reading “Word Count Goals of the Rich & Famous”
Submission Protocol: Simultaneous Submissions
Let’s talk about one of my favorite writerly topics: simultaneous submissions. A simultaneous submission (sim-sub, for short) is when you send one story to multiple markets to increase the chance you’ll put the story in front of an editor who will publish it. As with all the subjects… Continue Reading “Submission Protocol: Simultaneous Submissions”
The 7 Stages of Literary Rejection
A writer goes through a lot of emotions when that rejection letter shows up in his or her inbox, and it occurred to me these emotions are similar to those involved with grieving or loss (more or less). I’m sure you’ve all heard of the seven… Continue Reading “The 7 Stages of Literary Rejection”
The Quotable King: Ten Pages a Day
If you’ve read any of my previous posts, especially this one, then you know I’m a big fan of word count goals. I like watching the words add up in my spreadsheet, and I find having that kind of concrete, tangible goal keeps me… Continue Reading “The Quotable King: Ten Pages a Day”
A List of Links: Quick Kills & Real-Time Rejection
Here’s this week’s list of potentially useful links for writers and rejectomancers. 1) I’m always looking for ways to bring more realism to combat scenes in the fantasy fiction I write, and one of my favorite resources is an article from Classical Fencing entitled “The Dubious Quick… Continue Reading “A List of Links: Quick Kills & Real-Time Rejection”
Leaving the Hermitage: Writing & Isolation
Let me start this one with an anecdote. About a month ago, I met some friends I used to work with at restaurant to discuss a Dungeons & Dragons game I’m going to run (yes, I’m really that nerdy).Once everyone had arrived, we started… Continue Reading “Leaving the Hermitage: Writing & Isolation”
The Quotable King: Go to Work
I think Stephen King is a veritable fountain of writerly wisdom, and much of that wisdom has been compiled in his excellent book On Writing. (Yes, I’m gonna plug the book every time.) He also dispenses useful advice (and criticism) in the form of quotes, many… Continue Reading “The Quotable King: Go to Work”
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 