From the category archives:

Writing

The first step is always the hardest

May 31, 2009 Personal

I just submitted my first short story to a pro scale market for publication, a 3,800+ word piece titled MOONLIT FAITH to Clarkesworld Magazine. This officially marks the start of my full fledged attempt at being a writer. As I’ve mentioned before (here), I set my goals realistically, one piece of writing submitted per month [...]

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Foreshadowing

May 30, 2009 Movies

When crafting a narrative there are many tools you can employ, depending on the type of story you’re telling, the POV involved and personal style. One technique that can add richness to your stories is foreshadowing. The general idea behind foreshadowing is to drop hints to the reader regarding events that will occur later in [...]

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Tribes and Mentors

May 26, 2009 Personal

I just finished reading a great book called The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson. I grabbed it because of a TED speech he gave back in ‘06. For those unfamiliar with TED, it stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and they’ve been holding an annual conference of speeches by “the world’s [...]

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Horror Writers Association

May 19, 2009 Horror

Writing is, by its nature, a solitary endeavor. There’s no office to go to, populated with other writers. Hanging around the water cooler talking shop isn’t an activity you’ll engage in, unless you consider mumbling to yourself in front of an open refrigerator the same thing. We hole away in our little caves, hammering out [...]

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What to write about when you don’t want to write

May 14, 2009 Writing

My fire hasn’t been flickering very steadily these days. I’ve progressed with a couple of story ideas and gotten farther in my current short piece, but the gas is running low. As I mentioned before, more fuel must be gathered in order to roar it back to life. Having read almost all of the books [...]

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Outline versus Organic

May 11, 2009 Writing

When composing a narrative there are several methods available. Two of the main (and hotly debated) methods are using an outline or allowing the story to unfold organically. People tend to argue about the artistic merit of one over the other. Personally, if its good writing and an engaging story, I don’t care how it [...]

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Research and delicious consumption

May 7, 2009 Writing

Research is an integral part of achieving publication in any fiction market. You should be aware of the genres handled by the market you wish to submit to and the nuances of each particular publication. The best way to accomplish this is through a very simple task. Buy the magazine. I know it may seem [...]

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Creativity alone will not sustain you

May 5, 2009 Writing

The hopeless Dreamer is a staple of the creative stereotype. Head in the clouds, wishful thinker, not allowing reality to ground his vision. As romantic as this may sound it is ineffective and prone to failure. These Dreamers quickly become Cynics as they see their vision constantly shattered by an inability to achieve their goals. [...]

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Writing Goals

May 4, 2009 Personal

Saying you’re a writer is not the same as being a writer. There are many people (usually kids out of college still suckling on their parents teats) that loudly proclaim they are writers without ever putting pen to paper. Or there are those who scribble away, but never find the courage to submit their pieces. [...]

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Author Blogs

April 30, 2009 Writing

As the world gets more wired there are those using this medium to better connect with their audience. Musicians, Writers, and Movie Stars are just a small example of those engaging in a dialogue with their fans. For some this is the closest they can get to a personal relationship with those they admire. For [...]

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Writing's in my blood

April 29, 2009 Personal

For as long as I can remember the written word has been an integral part of my life. My love affair started as a toddler with a little desk my mom got me. It had a magnetic board with an almost infinite bucket of plastic letters. I would play “homework”, putting together words and basic [...]

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