As a writer, I sometimes have trouble vividly imagining my fictional settings. It is not as big a problem as it sounds. Characters come first and, unlike film makers, novelists can get away with a less-than-thorough imagining of physical surroundings. A few concrete and enticing details are sometimes enough to anchor readers while engaging their […]
Can Video Game Technology Help Writers Build Worlds? Read More »
I am happy to announce that my second short story collection, Remembering the Future and Other Tales, is here and is available for electronic purchase on Amazon. Those of you who have followed my blog will find familiar stories, but my new book also contains new content, including “Kindness,” a 20 page digital apocalypse story,
Just Released My New Short Story Collection \”Remembering the Future\” Read More »
The criticisms my imagination conjures are the worst kind there is. What I mean is the kind of criticism that I invent when there is no response from, say, an editor or Beta tester. It goes something like this: Why would they not respond? Maybe they hated that I included an emu on page 2,
Why Imaginary Criticism is the Worst Read More »
Despite all the writing I have done, I am a kind of slacker – at least according to the conventional wisdom. Writing is supposed to require discipline, “will-power,” and punctuality with deadlines. Though I adhered strictly to deadlines in school, imposing them on myself for writing rarely led to my finishing stories. Deadlines, and the
Death to Deadlines? Read More »
Last week I wrote an article about the types of writing criticisms I have found to be unhelpful and even destructive; I wrote a list of seven criticisms I ignore, so that I can focus on the criticisms that really do help and write honestly without a paralyzing fear of offending. One item on my
Why I Dislike Political Correctness in My Fictional Dreams Read More »
“Grow thick skin” is the advice often given to aspiring writers struggling to cope with the pain of rejection and criticism. Whenever I hear it, I cringe. The analogy is unhelpful and kind of grotesque. No one can grow new layers of real skin at will, any more than they can turn off hurt feelings
Seven Types of Writing Criticism to Ignore Read More »
Recently I had an unsettling experience: A reader of one of my novel manuscripts told me that at one point, she found my story so depressing, she had to put it down for three days before continuing. I was stunned. Although I try not to sugarcoat the difficulties of life, driving readers to psychiatrists is
Staring Into the Eyes of the Kraken: Can Writing Be Too Dark? Read More »
When I was eight, I got into my first heated creative dispute. My opponent was a neighborhood friend named Darla. When Darla came over, she only wanted to play house. She would bring a pouty-looking baby doll and, at her prompting, we would pretend that it needed a bottle-feeding or a diaper change. Darla never
To Be Creative, Let the Absurdity In Read More »
How do writers and other artists live with the knowledge that despite their best efforts, they might fail? A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a book that “sells” an answer that question – Big Magic, written by mega-bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert. Anyone who read my blog knows I did not think much of
The Awesome Privilege of Artistic Failure Read More »
When I write short stories, I love experimenting with fantasy tropes such as dragons, trolls, and prophesies. Though they may seem trite, I like to see if I can do anything with them that has not been done before: play with them; flip them upside down; personalize them; use them as metaphors that represent psychological
What Is Up With Fantasy Writers and Riddles? Read More »
