Author: andrewmfriday
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Friday’s Findings: Name-dropping
The other day, I typed out a paragraph for the science fiction novella I’m working on, and I realized I’ve had this aching question for years: when do I use a character’s name and when do I use a pronoun instead? Are there formal rules for this sort of thing? When do I use my…
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Friday’s Findings: The Greener Grass
I looked at the front yard this morning. The grass is sparse. Patchy. A few scraggly blades poking up between dusty soil. Was it the tree stealing all the water? The heat baking the earth? Or just me, distracted again, forgetting to water it? They say the grass is always greener on the other side,…
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Friday’s Findings: The 555 Experiment
When I did my own NaNoWriMo last month, I realized something: writing 1,666 words a day isn’t sustainable for me. I work a full-time job, and I’m not as fortunate as someone with a flexible schedule or who doesn’t have to work full-time. For people in those situations who wish to write, I truly wish…
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Should You Bundle Your Books?
For the past few months, I had been playing with the idea of bundling the books in my Consortium series I’ve written so far. I had already bought a pre-made cover from bookcoverzone.com, so I thought ‘what the heck.’ It’s gone more smoothly than I thought possible. One thing I’ve done is put the book…
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Friday’s Findings: Beginnings and Ends for a Scene
I’ve been writing a lot of scenes lately, and I am constantly asking myself, “Am I beginning all my scenes the same way?” Am I always starting with dialogue? And what about ending a scene? How can I make sure I’m not always ending my scenes in the same way? Are some of them cliffhangers,…
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The Consortium Saga Omnibus
Available for preorder: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple Books /Fable Kobo / Vivlio / Thalia / Smashwords The crew of The Planned Happenstance must save the planet Spotov from the false advocate. Or die trying. The Consortium. A supposed “utopia” where thousands of planets benefit from financial and cultural unity. Where neurological experiences…
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My 50k Novel in 30 Days: Final Daze
During my last three days of doing this unofficial NaNoWriMo, I wondered about my writing craft process for the future… Day 28 It is a sad day for me. The website for NaNoWriMo has vanished. Ironic it happened while I’m in the last week of one of the best 50k words in 30 days I’ve ever done.…
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Friday’s Findings: My 50K Novel Week 4
What inspired the novel I’m writing? Day 22 I’ve never mentioned what kind of book I’m writing. The genre is fantasy. The inspiration is the Bauhaus House, an art movement in Germany that preceded the Nazi regime’s takeover. The Bauhaus House was the school that was the center of an art movement in the 1920s…
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Bulk up your word count
I have a few suggestions for bulking up one’s word count when doing a 50K word rough draft in 30 days. None of these are “have-to.” Just do the ones that work with your way of writing: Again, these are just suggestions. Use the ones that help you write your rough draft quickly. one’s that…
Andrew M. Friday 