Category Archives: writing

Becoming Superman

Posted on February 2, 2020 by

“Style was the clothes; voice was the body. The instant I hit that realization I felt a circuit close inside me, switching on an engine in my brain. Suddenly all the little unrelated things I knew about writing (or brashly … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sophomore novel: to publish or not to publish

Posted on June 27, 2019 by

“Whether I’ll publish the story depends on whether others like it.” Myself, January 2019. I ended my last post prophesying that the decision about publishing the nearly complete manuscript would be based on my readers’ reaction to the story. This … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, self-publishing, writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

January is this time of the year…

Posted on January 30, 2019 by

It has been four years since I (self-)published my novel, Initial Conditions, in January 2015. I began writing a second, unrelated story, in the spring of that year. It progressed very little until NaNoWriMo in November. In January 2016, I … Continue reading →

Posted in self-publishing, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lighthearted takes on fiction and physics

Posted on June 17, 2018 by

Two comics by John Atkinson, thirst-editions and simplified-physics.

Posted in comics, fiction, humor, literature, physics, writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Story Elements: Core, World, Setting

Posted on April 28, 2018 by

C-3PO tells the story of the Rebellion to the Ewoks After trying to get to the root of readers’ satisfaction with a story, I found that a better understanding of what a story is might be in order. On its … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, literature, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What makes a good book?

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

“What do you think makes for a ‘good’ book?… Is it too subjective to define or are there specific and universal elements that make up a ‘good’ book? How can you pull the reader in rather than push them away?” … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, self-publishing, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Forward and backward

Posted on February 24, 2017 by

“It was possible to read the story two ways: Front to back, the heron returned to his heron wife and the world of the sky. Back to front, he stayed with his one true love on earth.” From The Third … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, literature, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Love between the covers

Posted on November 11, 2016 by

“The noise was huge. Wherever they stood, sat, or wandered, they talked. Primarily women, he observed, some of them dressed for business, other drooping from travel. And all, he thought, studying the heaped luggage carts, with enough suitcases for a … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary romance, fiction, movies, self-publishing, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Writers’ advice on self-publishing

Posted on September 24, 2016 by

There is a lot of advice about writing and self-publishing. A recent tread from the kboards Writers’ Cafe, Time to Hang It Up, tackled the problem of a writer with academic credentials and several years of self-publishing experience, who, despite … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, self-publishing, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Love-story vs. Romance

Posted on June 4, 2016 by

“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, and from love to matrimony in a moment.” from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen Sometimes when my writing is stuck, my thoughts meander into such “philosophical” questions … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment