On the verge of another story

So with Star Wanderers coming to a close, at least as far as the actual writing is concerned, I’ve recently found myself back in that weird writerly place where I don’t have any pressing projects to work on.  Whenever this happens, I find that it’s generally a good idea to start something new. Until just a… Continue reading On the verge of another story

Trope Tuesday: The Call to Adventure

One of the first (and most important) stages of the hero’s journey is the call to adventure.  It happens when the hero first confronts something outside the experience of his ordinary world that beacons him to leave it.  It overlaps closely with the inciting incident, and marks the point at which the hero’s journey begins. However,… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Call to Adventure

plot vs. PLOT and an interesting serial publishing idea

Back in English 318 at BYU, Brandon Sanderson used to tell us that there was a big difference between “little-p plot” and “big-p Plot.” The first applies mostly to chapters and scenes, which he said he could teach us.  The second refers to the overall story structure, which he couldn’t teach in a classroom setting… Continue reading plot vs. PLOT and an interesting serial publishing idea

Trope Tuesday: New Year Has Come

Just like a story, every year has a beginning and an end.  For this reason, New Years has become a time to celebrate change, renewal, and the setting of impossible goals which we will all probably break by March.  Over time, this tradition has become so ingrained in our culture that it’s only natural for… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: New Year Has Come

Going camping and novella update

Just a quick update on things: I’m going camping this weekend up Huntington Reservoir with some friends, so I won’t be around for a couple of days.  It should be fun; last trip was a good chance to step back and recharge, and I definitely could use that right now. At the same time, I’m… Continue reading Going camping and novella update

Looking for alpha readers and planning the next project

Worlds Away from Home 2.1 is going along well.  I had a hard time switching from Bringing Stella Home back to this other project, but I’ve got some good momentum going and assuming no major interruptions, should be able to do about 3k words a day for the rest of the week. Then again, if… Continue reading Looking for alpha readers and planning the next project

Juggling projects isn’t a good antidote to procrastination

Yeah, the title basically says it all.  I’m working on Genesis Earth 5.0 and Into the Nebulous Deep 1.0, and while I’m doing really well in the one, I’m not keeping up so much in the other. First, Genesis Earth. Since I finished the previous draft more than a year ago, I thought I’d find… Continue reading Juggling projects isn’t a good antidote to procrastination

New projects and other stuff

So I started the sequel to Mercenary Savior today; I figure I can take a couple months off to finish the rough draft, then leave it in the trunk until the first one sells. The working title of this one is Into the Nebulous Deep, which captures the main premise quite nicely (though let me… Continue reading New projects and other stuff

Beginnings and title woes

Today, I came off my writing break and started my next novel.  The makings of the first scene have been kicking around in my head for the past couple of days, but today I actually sat down and started it.  I’m not sure how strong of a beginning it is, but at least it’s a… Continue reading Beginnings and title woes

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one.  Or at least as close as we’re goign to get. “That’s what you said about the brother.” “The brother tested out impossible.  For other reasons.  Nothing to do with his ability.” “Same with the sister.  And there are… Continue reading Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card