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Warning: No Info Dumping, Part 2
In my last blog entry, I talked about the dos and don’ts of info-dumping. Now, I’d like to offer some case studies of info-dumping in action. While these may exaggerate info-dumps in action, they can still cause the writer to ask herself, ‘Have I done this?’ Info-dumps mostly pop up in these areas of description…
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Warning: No Info Dumping, Part 1
Let’s talk about some do’s anLet’s talk about some do’s and don’t’s of info-dumping. I try to find ways to include how things work in my sci-fi and fantasy stories, but I’m not always sure I avoid info-dumping. I try to. But it’s an easy trap to fall into, especially as a speculative fiction writer.…
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Some books on writing craft
The following are two completely different books for the writer. One is about a structured process and the other is about organically discovering your creativity. We can benefit from both. Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody I just finished Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel and…
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Friday’s Findings: Imposter Syndrome as a writer
Over the last few years, I’ve encountered the term imposter syndrome, and I’m like, “What is that?” Imposter syndrome is a thought pattern that reoccurs in someone’s mind and tells them they’re not good enough at what they do. For example: “I’m not a good teacher.” “I’m a terrible physician.” “I’m not as good a…
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Friday’s Findings: Five things I’ve learned in five years, part 2
A few weeks ago, I named five things I learned about the writing craft in the last five years, which are things about the actual writing process. As I came up with that list, I serendipitously came up with items that didn’t relate directly to the craft but to the writing life. These would be…
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Science Fiction & Fantasy I’ve Read Lately
I’ve been traveling in time with my speculative fiction reading lately. While the first two reviews below are recently released science fiction novels, the third review goes back a few years. Then I got brave. I read a fantasy from a few decades ago. Here’s what I thought: Cascade Failure by L. M. Sagas Science…
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Friday’s Findings: Every Sentence
“Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.” -Kurt Vonnegut Friday’s Findings
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Friday’s Findings: The Beginning
“Let the writing have its beginning — at the end.” -Edgar Allan Poe Friday’s Findings Photo by Balazs Kiss: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-forest-4279380/
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Scare Me Up: Horror Books for This Halloween Season
Last night I did this goofy thing in the spirit of Halloween. I turned off all the lights and listened to an audio version of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. It’s less than an hour long and super creepy. I recommend you do the same thing with a short and…
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