Writing:
New rule: don’t start posting a new book in the fall right before the busiest season for retail. Just don’t. There will be tears. Mine, specifically.
New rule #2: Listen to your heart when it tells you that a story you’ve written is best read in a single go. Or, at least, that it should be available in its entirety from day one for those to wish to absorb it that way.
Keeper of the Rituals was never meant to be posted a chapter at a time. I think I mentioned that at the
I can’t believe how long it’s been since I've done this. Just another indication of how my job has eaten my life. I’ve always found blogging therapeutic, though, so I will make time this morning.
Life:
One of my kids is a scientist. Like an honest-to-God, in the lab, with the white coat, type of scientist. I love him more than life itself, but when he starts talking about work, I absorb maybe one word in three, though I do my best to remain engaged and make the appropriate positive no
Life:
I start a new job on Monday. I haven’t had a new job in ten years, mostly because I was happy at my old one. Good hours, good money, good people… Yeah, pretty content. Not gonna lie.
But then another opportunity came up, and I thought, “Hey, why not?” The new job still has all the things: schedule, pay, autonomy, etc.
You know what’s shocking? All the people -- at the old company -- flabbergasted at my decision. Why would I leave if nothing was wrong? Am I not scared?
Life:
Had a conversation with my sister-in-law last week at our 4th of July picnic. It went like this:
Cass: I’ve got the most amazing idea for a book.
Me: Nice.
Cass: How would I go about getting it published?
Me: First step?
Cass: Yeah.
Me: You have to write it.
Cass: Oh, well…yeah.
Cart before the horse, much?
Writing:
Some thoughts on editing, because this is a supportive and cohesive community and things like peer editing are a happy reality here. W
Life:
Here’s a conversation from my vacation…
Sister: Try this book. I loved it.
Me: What’s it about?
Sis: It’s dark and screwed up. Right up your alley.
Me: Thanks?
Sis: It’s a two-parter. The sequel’s supposed to come out early next year.
Me: What if it doesn’t?
Sis: It will. The author says it will.
Me: I’ll wait. So I can read it all at once.
Sis: Haven’t you ever heard of delayed gratification?
Me: Never been a huge fan.
Sis: Oh, I realize. I’ve known you
Life:
We arrived home last night after a two-week vacation. It was a working vacation, but still. I feel that two weeks is too long to be away. I missed my dogs, my bed, my morning coffee on the back deck… all the things. I don’t mind travel, even for work, but I’m always happy to come home. I didn’t always feel this way. I used to wander all over the place and was famous for taking off for faraway places without a passing thought to an itinerary. So I guess people do change.
W
Writing:
When I started writing fiction, I figured the places where I grew up, studied, worked and lived weren’t interesting enough to inspire readers. So I wrote about places that had never been home or that I hadn’t even visited. And I would keep the scale of those locations small or familiar to the masses. Settings that needed very little information to imagine.
It took me a while to get over this.
Fiction is often a reflection of what is real, and what better way to convey t
Writing:
This was a hard one to teach my kids, because the desire to want to please and belong is partly innate. But living your life for others is neither fun nor healthy.
Writing is the same. For each person you worry about pleasing, deduct 1% in quality from your writing. Don’t worry. No one stays at 100%. These days, I usually deduct 5-10% right off the top. (It used to be much higher. Thank you, formulaic fiction industry.) So who am I worried about now? All sorts of folks. Peopl
Writing: Get in and get out.
I write novels because they’re in demand. But my favorite writing project is a short story. It’s not often I get asked for them. Certainly not as often as I’d like, and I understand that. People want novels.
But a good short story… chef’s kiss. To read is fun, but to create is divine. I encourage the site’s authors to give the short story form a try, if they haven’t. “Experts” say many of the same writing rules apply, whether penning novels or short form
There was an article on Open Culture about a week ago that I’m just now getting around to linking because… that’s my life. My dog actually got in my lap this afternoon (plot twist: he’s not a lapdog, but a fifty-pound Brittany in his prime), probably in an effort to pin me in place for five minutes. It worked. I sent emails. Watched some YouTube videos. I even drank a cup of coffee while it was hot. Pretty epic.
Check this out if you never have before. Less to compare your have-read list t
Sunday blog time.
I was asked this question a few days ago: “What one book do you love that you believe influenced your own writing the most?” That’s a seriously hard question, folks. How could any writer, who is most likely an avid reader, choose just one single book as the most influential in their life?
There have been moments. Epiphanies. When I read something that, upon reflection, altered me. But pick one work above all others? That feels impossible.
I can think of many ins
Wait, I can’t do poems. Let’s call it Stream of Consciousness Sunday.
This week felt ten weeks long. Modern medicine is a wonder, but modern travel is torture, and I often use Sundays to consider all the different ways I could avoid airplanes for the rest of my life.
Also, no surprise to anyone, the world is full of self-involved, self-righteous, ignorant individuals, which is also no modern phenomenon, as human nature has basically remained unchanged since the dawn of the species. C
Happy Thursday to me! Thursday is the one weekday I have off. It’s dark, cold and rainy outside at the moment. Perfect for snuggling in front of the fire.
With the dogs.
Which is fine. I love a solid dose of unconditional adoration.
Who develops ideas like I do, I sometimes wonder? When a story starts as nothing more than a concept, leaving you to flesh out everything else -- characters, POV, time period etc. Many of my writer friends focus on characters. They have the perfect
Should I or shouldn’t I? This has always been a relatively easy question for me because I have the attention span of a kitten. Rarely have I felt my characters need more once I’m done with them. Of course, they could always have more adventures. I’m just ready to move on. Again, kitten on catnip.
When I type “The End” (or “Finis” if I’m feeling bougie) and readers clamor for more, then I feel successful. Yet the idea of writing a sequel makes me twitchy. I’ve noticed that when authors do pr
Does anyone revisit older, completed stories and update them? Not in the “A Starbucks venti used to cost $2.35 and now it’s $4.00 kind of way.” More in the, “I’ve become better at ‘show, don’t tell’ since I wrote this, so I’m going to rewrite this scene and improve it.”
I’ve struggled with this since rereading some oldies of mine. In the end, I decided to leave well enough alone, even though some of what I wrote in the past makes me twitchy. I feel it’s a very personal decision, with no ri
I logged on to GA on Christmas Eve to show my kid which book I was posting. This happened:
Him: I remember when you wrote this. My favorite part was that chapter when [spoiler].
Me: *stares blankly*
Him: You seriously don’t remember writing that part?
Me: Sort of? Yes?
Him: Wild. Well, you are getting older.
Me: Screw you, son. *checks to make sure my socks match*
My point, I guess my question, actually, is… is it just me? Have any of you authors out there ever opened a
