Writer
CJ Jessop, one of my writer besties, tagged me in a recent post on her blog, and seeing as I’ve been neglecting my blog in the most dreadful way, I thought I’d give it a go. CJ is inspiring not one but TWO blog posts, as she’s just published a collection of her short fiction, which I’m quite excited about. …
I will admit that in almost every case, I will overlook poetry in favor of prose. There are, however, a couple of poets I keep an eye on. One, who I refer to on the blog fairly regularly, is my good friend Ashley Capes. The other is James Hutchings, another Australian poet.
Shakespeare very likely asked this question as well–though I’m sure he did it with more eloquence. Whether or not to use a pseudonym (a pen name) is a question pretty much every writer asks themselves when considering publication. There are plenty of reasons to use one, and just as many not to.
Lisa Cron wrote a fantastic blog post on Writer Unboxed, outlining three oft-preached and just as oft-misapplied ‘rules’ that can derail an otherwise brilliantly executed story. Last year I had occasion to read a batch of ten page manuscript submissions in a hurry, one right after the other. What I noticed was startling in its consistency. All of the writers …
In this post, I’ll instruct you on how to write a haiku. Just kidding. My poetry sucks. My friend Ashley Capes, on the other hand, is a fantastic poet. I’ve mentioned my feelings on the connection between poetry and prose, and how I feel a working knowledge of one can improve the other. Ashley has just posted a fantastic intro to …
Tomorrow is August 26th, which will mark exactly two months from the day I finished my second draft of Chaos. Instead of diving right into draft 3, as I intended, I had a number of non-writing-related projects fall into my lap over the summer. While I’m not usually happy about having very little time to write, I think it may work …
Ashley Capes, a good friend and writing buddy, has recently launched Close Up Editing & Assessment, a service for fiction and poetry writers. Whether you’re looking for overall manuscript assessment, line-editing, or proofreading, he and his wife Brooke Linford have numerous editing, writing, teaching, and publication credits between them that they can put to use helping you get your work …
Tess Grantham, a member of my writing group, Alchemy, has a brilliant post on her blog titled “The Power of Doubt”–how it hinders us as writers, and how it pushes us to become better. …Doubt is the improver in baker’s flour. It’s the magic ingredient in Grandma’s secret steak and kidney pie recipe. It’s the great arbiter of good work. How …
CJ Jessop, an awesome writer (whose first novel I had a blast beta reading) and a member of my crit group, Alchemy, posted a 300-word short story on her blog in response to a writing challenge. The story could be on any topic, but had to contain the words SWAN, FUCHSIA, PARANOID, SMOTHER, SCREEN, and BODY. I think she did brilliantly, …