I have been writing for most of my life - all of my adult life and some before that. As I've said earlier, I've finished five novels. I have two I regard as active works in progress. But a quick and dirty survey of my folders found me nine major projects, six of which were over 10,000 words. Average length of my unfinished non active projects was 15,000 words, but only one is over 25,000 words. This is about what I was expecting. 25,000 words seems to be a mental 'switchover' point. ... Read more »
Blog
Back – and forth. Publishing and why we write.
Well, the last few weeks have been different. Finished up with the convention I was at, finished moving, and then some personal issues cropped up. Suffice to say, I haven't been writing much, but I promised a weekly post and I've been slacking! So, this week we're talking about getting published. Let's be clear: I have not yet been. I have a good agent, so it is probably reasonable to assume that at some point in the distant future, I will be. However, this is not a fast or easy ... Read more »
Moving conitnues, excerpt in place of post
Move continues, and is almost complete. In lieu of a proper post, here is the first major action sequence from 'Shadows of Grey Tower' [he was brought through the house to] a cleared area in the center where old walls had been removed to create a meeting hall. Footsteps and excited whispers echoed through the House’s wooden walls as Carrick was hauled into the Hall and dropped before the Head of House. The Head was older than Carrick’s Head had been. Age had worn him down to a wiry thing ... Read more »
Apologies
Due to moving and convention, I will not be putting up a real post this week. In lieu, I have a question I'm looking for various answers on. What sort of visual or idea does 'steampunk romantic fantasy' conjure up in your mind? ... Read more »
A note on schedules
Barring any actual news, I intend to update this blog once a week, usually on Friday, with thoughts on some aspect of writing that have caught my thought processes over the course of the week. ... Read more »
Surroundings and description
When I first started writing, I wrote in a way one of my editors (one of my first year university english teachers) described as 'writing like an engineer.' I described actions, persons, thoughts and conversations, but I wrote very tersely and often missed vital description. It is a habit I have tried to break myself of, while also being careful to avoid the pitfall of too much description. Little things around your characters and events are important. What time of day is it? What time ... Read more »