Writers who can make a living wage from writing are far outnumbered by the ones who can’t. I’m one of the latter. While I’ve been getting paid to write things since the mid-1990s, I’ve never made enough that I could quit my day job and write full time. I have, however, been lucky enough to… Continue reading Finding balance
Category: Creativity
It’s Alive!
Yep, I'm still among the living. Life gets complicated on occasion...I'm sure you understand. I decided to take a break from social media and blogging for a bit so I could focus on some projects (see my previous post). And yes, I made progress. So, first things first, I've started the Prometheus Project Podcast. I… Continue reading It’s Alive!
Missing in Action
I've been off the radar for a few weeks now, avoiding social media in order to work on some of my neglected projects. I've gotten caught up now and am excited to announce that, in addition to my fiction writing, I've also started a podcast. The Prometheus Project Podcast is a venue I'll be using… Continue reading Missing in Action
Gestation
Ideas for stories come in all shapes and sizes. There are times when a story pops into my head almost fully formed. They’re rare, but it happens. It's usually when I’m drifting off to sleep at night and I have to force myself to turn on the lamp next to my side of the bed,… Continue reading Gestation
Talking about dialogue
Arguably one of the most difficult aspects of writing fiction is creating realistic dialogue. The problem lies in the fact that everyone speaks differently, with subtle nuances like slang, pronunciation, and accents. It’s easy enough to pick up on these things when you’re listening to someone speak. In writing, however, it’s difficult to convey those… Continue reading Talking about dialogue
Inspiration – Music
I’ve previously written about listening to music when writing, but for this post I want to write about music as inspiration. I think most people use music as background noise when going about their daily lives, or as a distraction when doing something boring – like driving to work, toiling away in the office cubicles,… Continue reading Inspiration – Music
Is Bad Fiction Good?
The consensus opinion is that in order to be a good fiction writer I must read well-written fiction. The idea is that I'm exposing myself to the best and should, in turn, absorb some positive influence from it, making me a better writer. Sure, I can see that to a degree, but does that mean… Continue reading Is Bad Fiction Good?
The Solitary Writer
I realize I'm showing my age with this post, but I feel the need to comment on how things have changed for writers. Previously, I wrote about how much easier it is now to find and submit to magazines and journals than it was twenty-five years ago. What occurred to me this past weekend was… Continue reading The Solitary Writer
The Cold Open
What’s more important, a strong first line or a strong first paragraph? I posed this question on Twitter the other day and received an amazing number of responses (and retweets). There were a variety of replies, but the consensus opinion was that a strong opening paragraph was more important. I agree, despite the fact that,… Continue reading The Cold Open
Writer’s Guilt
Confession time – I feel guilty when I have some free time and don’t spend it writing. It’s strange because I love to write, I need to write, but there are some moments when I simply want to unplug my brain and do something else. Usually, it’s something unproductive, like play a game on my… Continue reading Writer’s Guilt