When you write, you are negotiating a connection with your readers. You’re taking your idea, converting it into written language, and presenting it in words you want your readers to understand. If you don’t choose your words wisely, that understanding won’t take place. You won’t forge the connection…
Tweet This week we’re talking about getting paid for your writing, and yesterday I mentioned that copyright was originally created to promote creative expression — that basically the government established an artificial monopoly to an intangible good, and they back it up with (legal) force. They earnestly believed a system like that would encourage young […]
Tweet Yesterday I talked a little bit about how I got paid to write — both the method that paid me $200 to do something fun, and the method that has paid me…well, considerably more to do something tedious and practical. And, really, that’s the issue. It’s easy for my bosses to evaluate the value of my […]
Tweet I’ve already told the sad story of how I graduated, gave up on my dream, and took a day job. I’ve also since admitted that it wasn’t really all that bad, thanks to some dedicated friends — including one who came to Tulsa to work with me. That was Toby, and before he came […]
As of this writing, I am just over halfway through The Descent
People are creatures of habit, and that includes writers. Distraction is a habit. So is daily writing. Which pattern are you caught in, and which do you want?
Good stories don’t have to start with a perfect foundation or rigorous prewriting. Even the ugliest rough drafts can be fixed, if you adopt some healthy habits.
I’ve admitted recently that I’m a little broken, but I’m getting better. After years of living with crippling anxiety, I finally started trying to improve.
In its early stages, say, the first couple drafts, your story is rambunctious. You try to impose limits on it, but it’s mostly out of your control, skittering hither and yon and making a complete nuisance of itself…
Tweet As I was getting to know Julie Roads through her blog, I remember a couple relatively innocuous or offhand comments that stuck out to me. That’s one of the strange things about blogging — you never know where a reader’s going to start. So it’s easy to make an offhand reference to something you […]
