Write like your best friend just called to say she read the first fifty pages of your latest/greatest and she thinks it’s your best work yet. Write like tomorrow’s schedule is breaking rocks with a sledgehammer. Dawn to dusk. Write like you don’t care. Write like you understand, deep down, how much fun it is…
Category: Blog
Do you suffer from post-book depression?
I just finished a book. When I reach this milestone, I always think I should feel happy and excited, or at least satisfied. Instead, my mood seems to turn gloomy and anxious. Maybe it’s the panic of knowing I now have to send my baby out into the world to face criticism and potential rejection….
Short Story Craft, Part 1: Plot
Short stories are a whole different animal from novels. Many writers (including me, a few years ago) shy away from short stories because they can be so difficult and frustrating. But once you get the hang of them, they’re an excellent way to hone your writing skills, play with new techniques, and get your name…
People Watchin’
I just returned from a great trip which included New Year’s Eve on a cruise ship. But that’s not what I’m writing about, at least not exactly. I’m a people watcher everywhere I go. It fascinates me to see how people interact with their families and with strangers, and the very strange things they do….
Say, Mack, what’s your secret?
There is a restaurant in Manitou Springs, CO, Adam’s Mountain Café, that has the best chicken salad ever. Just plain ol’ chicken salad, but with its one or two secret ingredients—wow. Fantasy and sci-fi author David Farland tells a story about an author he met at a writers conference. She admitted to him that she felt…