For my sixtieth birthday (that can’t be right!), I spent a long weekend in New Orleans. COVID-19 has changed the landscape nearly as much as Hurricane Katrina: no open jazz clubs, no bus tours of the city, far fewer walking tours and everyone on edge about wearing your mask at all times. However, The Traveling…
In two days I will be 60. That just can’t be right, can it? I can’t say I’ve been a writer all those years, though I have been a storyteller since I could speak coherently. My early writing is unpublished and rightly so! However, I feel I’ve progressed as a writer until the point where…
Once again, it’s time for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Post! A writer’s life is one of insecurities. I’d imagine even a New York Times Bestselling author – perhaps especially a New York Bestselling author – worries that their writing just isn’t good enough, that they can never equal what they’ve already produced. Writing is…
Robin Gainey did a great webinar for my writing conference about “First Page Perfect.” Here are some of her suggestions: In the perfect first page, the main character must be sympathetic and introduced in a setting: Here are some things she recommends you not do: Robin says you should read and question. Read your story…
I love Dean Koontz — he has a knack for setting the hairs on your nape standing up, while still leaving you with a feel-good ending (unlike Stephen King, who leaves a bitter taste in my mouth with his dystopian endings). Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain…
I “attended” a virtual query letter “boot camp” last month. Angie Hodapp talked about some pitfalls you might fall into while writing your query letter pitch — the part where you describe your story and try to hook the agent or editor. First, here are some awkward phrases to avoid: “Have you ever wondered…?” “What…
November’s Question: Albert Camus once said: “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said: “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write? Why do I write character-driven science fiction? I’ve had…
Here’s what I’m reading today in science fiction: Lou Diamond Phillips — yes, the actor guy! — has published a science-fiction retelling of the old folk tale “The Tinderbox.” In the original story, there are three dogs of varying sizes. In Phillips’ work, the “dogs” are high-tech devices of which I will speak no further.…
I’m running the short story past the critique group before I submit it to the anthology, so I’m thinking about “What makes a good short story?” First, of course, you need an idea that you can develop into a plot — and no, the two aren’t the same thing. Your idea will be something like…
Finished the story for Kevin J. Anderson’s anthology (due on Halloween!). I’m going to run it past my critique group before I send it in though … just to be sure it’s anthology-ready. I’m attending another writing conference this week via Zoom … it’s not specifically sci-fi but has a lot of great workshops and…