Despite the fact that my mother taught me how to type when I was quite young, to this day I still compose fiction stories by hand, preferably with a soft lead pencil or fountain pen. These instruments glide across numerous pages without causing hand cramps. At write ins, I’ve watched fellow writers typing away on…
Like most writers, I’ve heard and read a lot about self-publishing, with most articles and stories advising that it’s nice to get your name in print, but you’ll need to keep your day job. Granted, some self-published books sell few copies beyond the author’s friends and relatives, yet some of them do well enough, including…
When I have the time, and sufficient inclination, I can write a short story in a week. After the first edit, if I’m pleased to find the story sounds pretty good, I leave it alone for awhile. While the new story rests, I send it to an old college friend (actually, we’re both old). This…
My writing friend and I both lead writing groups. The two of us also enjoy discussing, even debating, the merits and shortcomings regarding various novels and movies. We usually agree, but not always. Recently he and I disagreed about just how serious plot holes are to the success of a movie. For instance, I’m a…
I’m still battling with the age-old writers’ conundrum regarding outlining and plotting. It could be that my resistance to outlining stems from quite a few years working as a tech writer. I’ve written a hundred user manuals for numerous software programs and technical procedures, none of which I could have started or completed without an…