In writing, you’ve always got to strike a balance between things that the readers find familiar and things that might be original or new to them. Every genre has its own standard set of tropes, plot twists, character archetypes, and other such story elements, and even if the readers can’t explain them all to you,… Continue reading Familiar vs. original vs. WTF?
Tag: Frustrations
U is for Uncertainty
There’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with being a working writer. I’m caught up in the middle of it right now as I get ready to launch a new series, and it’s enough to drive me crazy. First of all, I’m not sure whether this new series, Sons of the Starfarers, will do well… Continue reading U is for Uncertainty
Further thoughts on the drama in the SF&F community and a rescinding of some previous thoughts
About a year ago, there was a big discussion in the science fiction & fantasy community about sexual harassment and sci-fi conventions. As a result of that discussion, allegations were thrown out about a certain senior editor at Tor, rumors began to fly, and through what some might characterize as popular justice and others might… Continue reading Further thoughts on the drama in the SF&F community and a rescinding of some previous thoughts
I’m not going to talk about nanowrimo
I’m not going to talk about nanowrimo because … yeah, I’m not going to talk about nanowrimo. I’ve been doing a lot to get the print versions of the Star Wanderers novellas up, but beyond that, not a whole lot of writing. Still one scene to go in Sons of the Starfarers: Brothers in Exile… Continue reading I’m not going to talk about nanowrimo
Quick update and a funny thing
First, just a quick update on my latest writing projects. I got the feedback from my second round of test readers for Star Wanderers: Reproach (Part VII), and while I think the story still needs work, it’s getting closer. I probably won’t be able to get it out by the end of September, but first… Continue reading Quick update and a funny thing
Writing at a stroll
I haven’t been writing too much these past few days, or revising much either, but I have been rereading a lot of stuff and getting myself back into the fantasy world of my next big novel. I’ve made a few changes, but decided to keep most of the stuff that I wrote while in Georgia,… Continue reading Writing at a stroll
It’s all there (mostly), just out of order
So I picked up the rough draft of Star Wanderers: Benefactor (Part VI) this week and started making notes for the revision. It turns out that most of the scenes after the first chapter are jumbled and out of order. This is good, because it means that I don’t have to toss it out and… Continue reading It’s all there (mostly), just out of order
I will finish this novella tomorrow, I SWEAR.
I was going to finish it two weeks ago. I really was. But then, things were slow for a while as I adjusted to the new swing-shift job, and it wasn’t looking like I could do it, so I pushed the deadline back a week and went hiking instead. No worries. Then, the internet exploded… Continue reading I will finish this novella tomorrow, I SWEAR.
Thoughts on the recent drama in the SF&F community
NOTE: I’ve since changed my views and retracted many of the things I said in this blog post. You can find a link to the retraction here. Oh, boy, has there been a lot of drama in the science fiction & fantasy community recently. From the trouble with the SFWA bulletin to the revelation of… Continue reading Thoughts on the recent drama in the SF&F community
I need to get out of Provo, but where to live next?
It’s been almost six months since I moved back out to Provo, and I don’t think I’ll be staying here much longer. It’s a great place if you’re a Mormon college student in your early twenties, or married with kids and looking for a nice, quiet place to settle down, but for everything in between… Continue reading I need to get out of Provo, but where to live next?