Okay, we're back with five links for the weekend.
1. Chuck Sambuchino has a great article about the proper way to start your novel, aptly titled How to Start Your Novel.
2. Key Keppler has nice article on characterization over at Writer's Fun Zone: Give Your Characters Tough Goals
3. Here's an interview with author Destiny Blaine giving a lot of tips for aspiring writers. Definitely check this one out.
4. I don't talk a lot about non-fiction writing here, but I thought this article about business content writing was pretty useful: 5 Characteristics of a Great Content Writer
5. And finally, I might have posted this before, but I like to recommend watching it periodically. It's not related to writing, but it is related to success. It's a video from Dave Ramsey that everyone should watch: Drive Free, Retire Rich
And that's all for now. See ya soon!
September 20, 2013
September 19, 2013
Quickie Book Review: The Talisman
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer needs to travel across the United States to retrieve a magical talisman that can save his dying mom. To speed up his trip, he travels back-and-forth to an alternative parallel universe (called The Territories) where he can move a little quicker from point A to point B. And he meets lots of bad guys along the way, both in the US and in the Territories.
The Good: It's Stephen King, so you know it won't be boring. The novel has a great plot with tons of suspense and surprises, as well as a handful of interesting characters. The Territories are sort of like a medieval fantasy land with a mixture of peasants, gargoyles, nuclear radiation, and werewolves. A very cool place, if you ask me.
The Bad: It's Stephen King, so you know it will be boring. (See what I did there.) My biggest complaint is that this book is just way too long. I'm not against a long book, either. The Stand and Atlas Shrugged are two of my favorites. It's just that in the case of The Talisman, way too many pages are filled with unnecessary detail after unnecessary detail after unnecessary flashback. This book is also way too slow. There were so many times, especially in the first two-hundred pages, where I found myself shouting "Something Happen, already!"
Closing: I originally read this book when I was a freshman in high school, so naturally, I remembered nothing about it. I did remember that I loved it back then and since King & Straub recently wrote a sequel to it (Black House) I figured I'd read it again so that when I finally got around to reading Black House, I'd have some sort of clue as to what was going on. So would I recommend reading it? Probably not. Like I said earlier, it is a great story, but it's just so slow that unless you're a Stephen King completist or want to read it because you're planning to read Black House you could probably live without The Talisman. This book would be a prime candidate for a rerelease like The Stand, only instead of "Complete and uncut," they could make it "The Talisman: Cut." Take out about 300 pages and this novel would be gold.
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer needs to travel across the United States to retrieve a magical talisman that can save his dying mom. To speed up his trip, he travels back-and-forth to an alternative parallel universe (called The Territories) where he can move a little quicker from point A to point B. And he meets lots of bad guys along the way, both in the US and in the Territories.
The Good: It's Stephen King, so you know it won't be boring. The novel has a great plot with tons of suspense and surprises, as well as a handful of interesting characters. The Territories are sort of like a medieval fantasy land with a mixture of peasants, gargoyles, nuclear radiation, and werewolves. A very cool place, if you ask me.
The Bad: It's Stephen King, so you know it will be boring. (See what I did there.) My biggest complaint is that this book is just way too long. I'm not against a long book, either. The Stand and Atlas Shrugged are two of my favorites. It's just that in the case of The Talisman, way too many pages are filled with unnecessary detail after unnecessary detail after unnecessary flashback. This book is also way too slow. There were so many times, especially in the first two-hundred pages, where I found myself shouting "Something Happen, already!"
Closing: I originally read this book when I was a freshman in high school, so naturally, I remembered nothing about it. I did remember that I loved it back then and since King & Straub recently wrote a sequel to it (Black House) I figured I'd read it again so that when I finally got around to reading Black House, I'd have some sort of clue as to what was going on. So would I recommend reading it? Probably not. Like I said earlier, it is a great story, but it's just so slow that unless you're a Stephen King completist or want to read it because you're planning to read Black House you could probably live without The Talisman. This book would be a prime candidate for a rerelease like The Stand, only instead of "Complete and uncut," they could make it "The Talisman: Cut." Take out about 300 pages and this novel would be gold.
September 13, 2013
A personal note
Hi there. I just wanted to chime in with some bad news my family have recently received.
My nephew, who will be turning seven very soon, has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment for his long road to recovery.
The emotions that come in with news like this are so surreal. It's one of those things that you hear about, but never really think about because it doesn't seem like it's something that can happen to anyone you care about. Kids don't get cancer in real life, right? Wrong. They do far more often than anyone likes to think about.
So I'd like to ask any of my followers out there for a couple of things. First off, if you're a believer please pray for my nephew, his parents, and his wonderful brother. Keep in mind my wife and my two-year-old as well as this is a difficult time for them too.
I'd also like to mention that there are so many good charities out there supporting kids with cancer, and they can use any spare dollars sent their way. Please consider.
And on a final note, try to remember to never take life for granted. Treat every day as a gift and stay positive with all you do.
My nephew, who will be turning seven very soon, has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment for his long road to recovery.
The emotions that come in with news like this are so surreal. It's one of those things that you hear about, but never really think about because it doesn't seem like it's something that can happen to anyone you care about. Kids don't get cancer in real life, right? Wrong. They do far more often than anyone likes to think about.
So I'd like to ask any of my followers out there for a couple of things. First off, if you're a believer please pray for my nephew, his parents, and his wonderful brother. Keep in mind my wife and my two-year-old as well as this is a difficult time for them too.
I'd also like to mention that there are so many good charities out there supporting kids with cancer, and they can use any spare dollars sent their way. Please consider.
And on a final note, try to remember to never take life for granted. Treat every day as a gift and stay positive with all you do.
Five Links Friday the 13th.
I haven't posted in a while, but I'll say more about that in my next post. For now, here are five links for Friday the 13.
1. 12 Lessons Learned from 12 years of writing There is some good advice here. "Especially this one: In reality writer’s block isn’t a disease. It’s a romantic way of saying I’m lazy."
2. Are You Making These Six Deadly Writing Mistakes? Sadly, sometimes the answer is "yes".
3. Literary agent Rachel Kent shares some of the details on how publishing houses market your novel in here article here: More on Marketig
4. Horror in YA Lit is a Staple Not a Tread For some reason, I've never even considered trying some YA horror. That gives me a lot to think about. Give it a read.
5. And finally, since it is Friday the 13th, it would be a great idea to head on over to Amazon.com and check out the newly released Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection
box set.
And that's all for now. See ya soon!
1. 12 Lessons Learned from 12 years of writing There is some good advice here. "Especially this one: In reality writer’s block isn’t a disease. It’s a romantic way of saying I’m lazy."
2. Are You Making These Six Deadly Writing Mistakes? Sadly, sometimes the answer is "yes".
3. Literary agent Rachel Kent shares some of the details on how publishing houses market your novel in here article here: More on Marketig
4. Horror in YA Lit is a Staple Not a Tread For some reason, I've never even considered trying some YA horror. That gives me a lot to think about. Give it a read.
5. And finally, since it is Friday the 13th, it would be a great idea to head on over to Amazon.com and check out the newly released Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection
box set.And that's all for now. See ya soon!
August 30, 2013
Five Links Friday 8/30/13
Hey, the good news is that most of us have a three-day weekend coming. The better news is that I'm back with five new writing links!
1. Here's an older post from Utterances of an Overcrowded Mind showing how to Become a Successful Writer in 2,000 Hours
2. Is procrastination killing your writing? Then you best check out this post from Charlie Nitric's blog.
3. Learning to deal with feedback is something all writers must do. This post will help: How to deal with critiques and editorial feedback
4. 4 Big Pitfalls in Story Openings by K.M. Weiland. Yeah, we've all done at least one of these at one point or another.
5. And finally, check out Digital Age Authors & The Ugly Truth About “The Good Old Days” of Publishing from Kristen Lamb's blog.
And that's it. Have a great weekend. Watch some college football and stay out of the heat.
1. Here's an older post from Utterances of an Overcrowded Mind showing how to Become a Successful Writer in 2,000 Hours
2. Is procrastination killing your writing? Then you best check out this post from Charlie Nitric's blog.
3. Learning to deal with feedback is something all writers must do. This post will help: How to deal with critiques and editorial feedback
4. 4 Big Pitfalls in Story Openings by K.M. Weiland. Yeah, we've all done at least one of these at one point or another.
5. And finally, check out Digital Age Authors & The Ugly Truth About “The Good Old Days” of Publishing from Kristen Lamb's blog.
And that's it. Have a great weekend. Watch some college football and stay out of the heat.
August 24, 2013
Happy late birthday to the blog!
Wow, I just realized I've already been posting here for over a year.
It was something I decided to do shortly after spending a weekend at a writing conference and the first post was August 1, 2012.
All in all, it's been a pretty good year for me in both writing and in real life, so I just want to take a moment to say thanks to my reader(s) for visiting this blog in the last twelve plus months.
If even one word I wrote here in the last year helped make you a better writer or inspire you to find more success in whatever it is you do, then I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to do.
I hope you stick around for another year and I'll continue posting my successes and failures in writing and share anything I happen to learn along the way
It was something I decided to do shortly after spending a weekend at a writing conference and the first post was August 1, 2012.
All in all, it's been a pretty good year for me in both writing and in real life, so I just want to take a moment to say thanks to my reader(s) for visiting this blog in the last twelve plus months.
If even one word I wrote here in the last year helped make you a better writer or inspire you to find more success in whatever it is you do, then I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to do.
I hope you stick around for another year and I'll continue posting my successes and failures in writing and share anything I happen to learn along the way
August 23, 2013
Five Links Friday 8/23/13
I'm back for another Five Links Friday.
1. If you're working on a new novel and having some trouble, you might want to read 25 Things You Should Know About Writing a Novel at terribleminds.com. Great advice there.
2. And if productivity or time constraints are holding you back, then read 7 Hacks That Will Get You Writing Faster at livehacked.com.
3. On Twitter? You should be. Here are 7 Reasons Every Writer Needs to be on Twitter from Kristen Lamb's blog.
4. Last week, Gothic City Press opened up a new section of their site called Gas Lamp, which publishes a weekly flash fiction story. It's a great idea; give it a look. And while we're on the topic of Gothic City Press, you should probably check out their latest anthology, Clerics, Charlatans, and Cultists
available now at Amazon.com. (I never claimed to be above a cheap plug, har har)
5. And finally, if you're into cryptozoology (and, really, who isn't?) then you should check out Cryptid Girl
by my friend JR Mallette.
It's always kind of fun sharing these links. I'll try to get back on track to doing this every week.
1. If you're working on a new novel and having some trouble, you might want to read 25 Things You Should Know About Writing a Novel at terribleminds.com. Great advice there.
2. And if productivity or time constraints are holding you back, then read 7 Hacks That Will Get You Writing Faster at livehacked.com.
3. On Twitter? You should be. Here are 7 Reasons Every Writer Needs to be on Twitter from Kristen Lamb's blog.
4. Last week, Gothic City Press opened up a new section of their site called Gas Lamp, which publishes a weekly flash fiction story. It's a great idea; give it a look. And while we're on the topic of Gothic City Press, you should probably check out their latest anthology, Clerics, Charlatans, and Cultists
available now at Amazon.com. (I never claimed to be above a cheap plug, har har)
5. And finally, if you're into cryptozoology (and, really, who isn't?) then you should check out Cryptid Girl
by my friend JR Mallette.It's always kind of fun sharing these links. I'll try to get back on track to doing this every week.
August 15, 2013
Update on writing and life
I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd just chime in with an update on writing and life in general.
Things are as busy as one can expect with a newborn, but I've really been making the effort to keep writing as much as possible. (Note: I should mention that it helps to have such a supportive wife.)
I did learn something new in the last month and that is that the key to productivity in busy times is prioritization. There's only so much you can do in a day, so you have to pick the most important thing and let everything else wait for a while.
Since we don't have a lot of free time, I had to rethink my goals and priorities for the next few months. One thing was for sure though: Outside of family and work responsibilities, writing would remain a top priority for me, even if it meant giving up TV all together and (temporarily) cutting my workouts down to 2 or 3 days per week.
With a more limited schedule, I had to modify my writing goals a bit to adapt. I decided that since I wasn't having a tremendous amount of luck finding representation for the novel it might be a good time to step away from it for a little while and then work on another revision of the novel, the synopsis and the query letter.
On the other side of the writing world, I have been finding much more success with the short stories. I just received my fifth acceptance letter of the year so far, bringing my number of published or soon-to-be-published short stories dangerously close to ten. With that, I decided to focus on finishing and submitting short stories until I reach a minimum goal of both ten published and ten pending. After that, I'll go back to working on the novels, but until then, the queries can wait and if I miss an occasional blog post I won't beat myself up over it either.
In other site-related news, I have some other plans for this blog running around in my head that I might be trying in the next year. We'll see how that goes and I'll do an update about it sometime in the future.
So until next time, I just want to say that no matter how busy you are, don't let it keep you from chasing your goals.
If I can do it, rest assured that you can too.
Things are as busy as one can expect with a newborn, but I've really been making the effort to keep writing as much as possible. (Note: I should mention that it helps to have such a supportive wife.)
I did learn something new in the last month and that is that the key to productivity in busy times is prioritization. There's only so much you can do in a day, so you have to pick the most important thing and let everything else wait for a while.
Since we don't have a lot of free time, I had to rethink my goals and priorities for the next few months. One thing was for sure though: Outside of family and work responsibilities, writing would remain a top priority for me, even if it meant giving up TV all together and (temporarily) cutting my workouts down to 2 or 3 days per week.
With a more limited schedule, I had to modify my writing goals a bit to adapt. I decided that since I wasn't having a tremendous amount of luck finding representation for the novel it might be a good time to step away from it for a little while and then work on another revision of the novel, the synopsis and the query letter.
On the other side of the writing world, I have been finding much more success with the short stories. I just received my fifth acceptance letter of the year so far, bringing my number of published or soon-to-be-published short stories dangerously close to ten. With that, I decided to focus on finishing and submitting short stories until I reach a minimum goal of both ten published and ten pending. After that, I'll go back to working on the novels, but until then, the queries can wait and if I miss an occasional blog post I won't beat myself up over it either.
In other site-related news, I have some other plans for this blog running around in my head that I might be trying in the next year. We'll see how that goes and I'll do an update about it sometime in the future.
So until next time, I just want to say that no matter how busy you are, don't let it keep you from chasing your goals.
If I can do it, rest assured that you can too.
August 9, 2013
Clerics, Charlatans, and Cultists
My short story "Tunnel of Darkness" is available today in the anthology Clerics, Charlatans, and Cultists, published by Gothic City Press.
From the dark recesses of churches, forested sanctuaries, and
unremarkable storefronts come a wide of assortment of characters looking
to recruit you into their particular doctrines. From a deific duck, to
a poison swilling monk, and down to a cult of pestilence, the variety
of stories found in "Clerics, Charlatans, and Cultists" makes this a
compelling anthology to have on your bookshelf – digital or print.
Gothic City Press delves into the darker side of faith with a collection of short stories from authors in the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Gothic City Press delves into the darker side of faith with a collection of short stories from authors in the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, and Australia.
August 2, 2013
Five Links Friday 8/2/13
Well here I am still trying to catch up with life. I did manage to make a lot of progress in the writing world in the last few weeks, but more on that later. For now, here are five articles I read this week.
1. If you're a new writer, there's plenty of good advice out there. There's also plenty of bad advice. Here are the 4 Worst Pieces Of Advice For Young Writers from polymic.com
2. Having trouble with infodumps? Aren't we all. J.E. Tankersley has an article about it here: Let’s talk about dumping…
3. And opening sentences? Stephen King shares some of his thoughts in this article in The Atlantic: Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences
4. Here's an article from Charlie Jane Anders looking at the 7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding.
5. And finally, for those of us searching for an agent, check out this post by Chuck Sambuchino at thewritelife.com: What Does a Literary Agent Want to See When They Google You?
And that's all. Hope you enjoy; have a great weekend. And wish me luck with my editing :)
1. If you're a new writer, there's plenty of good advice out there. There's also plenty of bad advice. Here are the 4 Worst Pieces Of Advice For Young Writers from polymic.com
2. Having trouble with infodumps? Aren't we all. J.E. Tankersley has an article about it here: Let’s talk about dumping…
3. And opening sentences? Stephen King shares some of his thoughts in this article in The Atlantic: Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences
4. Here's an article from Charlie Jane Anders looking at the 7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding.
5. And finally, for those of us searching for an agent, check out this post by Chuck Sambuchino at thewritelife.com: What Does a Literary Agent Want to See When They Google You?
And that's all. Hope you enjoy; have a great weekend. And wish me luck with my editing :)
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