Marketing Myself Scares the Bejesus out of Me

I'm in that wonderful period in every author's life where they're prepping for the release of a book. In my case, it's the first one. After years of gunning for the traditional model for mostly superficial reasons, I was drawn to the self-publishing side of the industry. But, with that change, I've had to become …

The Sage Advice of Write First Edit Later

I was at a writer's workshop a few years ago with an instructor that was far into the literary fiction camp. She really had no idea about genre fiction, having to resort to Harlequin romance as her one and only example. It was occasionally cringe-worthy. She did make one really good point, though. An aspiring …

Lore isn’t Plot

Writing is one of the hardest things a person can do. Simply getting the energy when everything else in the world is tugging at you can be insurmountable for many. If there is one thing that seems to give writers boundless energy, however, it's lore building for fantasy, science fiction and associated subgenres. There's something …

Cynicism is this Generation’s Neon Lights

One thing I love to be on the lookout for are societal and pop culture trends that we will see as horribly dated in a decade or two. These can be fashion-related such as massive 80s hair or the dreadful 90s overalls. But, narratively, there are also generational elements that tend to sour very quickly. …

Writing for Local Markets

Despite what pretty much every piece of media would have you believe, not every writer in the world is based in New York or L.A. I would like to say the vast majority of writers indeed live in much smaller enclaves. Writing isn't a profession where you need a huge machinery around. A grandmother from …

The Kitchen Sink Never Works

Lack of confidence can make a heck of a mess. Throughout all media, you will see examples of what I'd refer to as 'kitchen sink' writing. This is a story where the plot veers all over the place, constantly changing tone and shape as it unfolds. It's the kind of storytelling that is too afraid …

Make Your Power Scaling Consistent

Even if it seems juvenile, a decent chunk of fictional character building for young adult and fantasy revolves around the game of 'my dad can beat up your dad'. Genres that involve a lot of action tend to have characters that fit into a hierarchy of skill or ability. For protagonists, this trait usually grows …

Horror Writing – Is Less More?

In many ways, I'd refer to myself as a horror junkie. I watch more horror movies of dubious quality than I'd care to admit as part of this. I don't, however, read much horror outside of Stephen King, who I don't consider particularly scary (excellent prose notwithstanding). Therefore, when I talk and think horror, I …

The Trouble with Dystopian Timelines

Do you know who hates rot? Dystopian writers, that's who. They have to deal with a world crumbling around them and actually make sense of it.