It’s been a while, and much has changed. I’ve moved, for one thing. I’m now living in the Florida panhandle. And why did I move? Because I have a new job! I’m working for The Nature Conservancy, an organization whose awesomeness I’ve been aware of for a long time. I always sort of hoped [...]
writing wank
Letters to my characters: William & Christmas Joe
This is a procrastination tool writing exercise I use a lot in November, and I thought I’d post it here just for fun. So, here we go — letters to two of my many, many characters.
Dear William:
Are you sure you don’t want to get DS from the, you know, infected blood you just got all [...]
Click!
I love when the solution to a problem comes together from little elements that were already in the story! When this happens, it’s one of the moments that make writing worth doing.
How about you? What are the moments that make you glad to be a writer?
Too much story to fit between the covers.
I think the pirates have got to go. This sucks. I like the pirates, particularly the captain, particularly that she’s a tough female character who isn’t all Feisty Sexy HeroineTM and is instead low-key and middle-aged and experienced and, oh my god, actually competent1. I really wish I could keep her. She’s the coolest villain [...]
Where did the time go?
Holy crap, NaNoWriMo is a month away. I guess I’m officially announcing my intention to cheat this year. Yes, I am continuing The Afflicted instead of moving on to the shiny new gay romantic steampunk road novel. This makes me sad, because the new novel would be incredibly fun to write (All world- and character-building, [...]
Occupational Hazard, or, Please Pass the Brain Bleach
Sometimes real people creep into my writing, inserting themselves into slots that previously held made-up characters who haven’t been completely fleshed out yet. I start to write a scene only to find that one of the characters in it suddenly looks like a the stranger I saw on the bus the other day. Or he has the voice of a coworker. Or repeats the same annoying phrase that a friend says all the time.
NaNo ‘07 is skipping the line.
Since it will not get out of my head and is resisting moving back so as to leave room for what I’m supposed to be working on, here’s the premise for my 2007 NaNo novel:
The queen has a problem. Her teenage children keep falling in love with unsuitable mates. Her daughter is carrying on with [...]
