Trope Tuesday: Space Cossacks

I’m going to take a break from the hero’s journey trope posts for a while, until I have the time to do them justice.  In the meantime, let’s have a little fun. Some of my favorite science fiction stories are the ones about a culture of nomadic starfaring people wandering the universe in search of… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Space Cossacks

I cannot tell you…

…how much I’m looking forward to being back in Georgia. My flight leaves from JFK on Saturday and arrives in Istanbul at about 6 am on Sunday.  The flight to Tbilisi doesn’t leave for another seven hours, so I plan to take the tram downtown and see some of the sights.  I’ll arrive in Tbilisi… Continue reading I cannot tell you…

Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve

Why do so many character combinations come in groups of three?  Unlike love triangles, where the combo is primarily a way to build conflict, the characters in power trios all build on each other in some way.  They might be foils for each other, but as complementary archetypes, they do far more to drive the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve

STARS OF BLOOD AND GLORY 1.1 is finished!

That’s right!  After what felt like six hours of un-anesthetized brain surgery, Stars of Blood and Glory 1.0 is finally complete!  Here are the stats: words: 76,326 chapters: 18, prologue & epilogue ms pages: 360 start date: 20 Dec 2011 end date: 2 Feb 2011 Some extended stats, just for fun: days spent writing: 36 miles traveled: ~5,500 viewpoint characters: 5 characters from… Continue reading STARS OF BLOOD AND GLORY 1.1 is finished!

Am I swamped, or am I lazy?

This post might get a little emo, so I apologize in advance. I feel like I have so much on my plate right now, and yet when I look back at what I’ve accomplished each day, I wonder if I couldn’t have been more productive.  I’m moving out of my apartment on the 21st, so… Continue reading Am I swamped, or am I lazy?

Star Wanderers 0.2 is finished!

That’s right; I just finished the second draft of the beginning of Star Wanderers, the novel that came out of nowhere like a surprise baby.  I’m sending it out to my alpha readers now, so I can get some feedback before submitting it to Writers of the Future.  If I know you in real life… Continue reading Star Wanderers 0.2 is finished!

News, a correction, and an awesome AvB remix

Today I was supposed to finish the second draft of Sholpan, but I moved apartments this weekend, so everything got thrown completely out of whack.  I’m all moved into my new place now (with some awesome Quarkie roommates), but Sholpan is going to have to wait until Monday. Fortunately, I’ve only got a couple of… Continue reading News, a correction, and an awesome AvB remix

Soundtrack for an untitled book

I’ve got this great idea for a novel, with a rough plot outline, an awesome ending, setting and characters all worked out, even the soundtrack–but no title. I enjoy making soundtracks for my novels, but this is the first time I’ve made one before writing the first draft.  Usually, my first drafts are so all over the… Continue reading Soundtrack for an untitled book

Desert Stars 3.0 is finished!

That’s right; after almost exactly two months of writing, the third draft of Desert Stars is now complete! This is the first draft where I feel that things are truly coming together the way they should be, where the story is transforming into something that not only works, but is actually fairly awesome. I’m probably… Continue reading Desert Stars 3.0 is finished!