Today I'm boarding a flight to San Diego USA to attend my first World Fantasy Convention. Exciting! It feels rather indulgent to be taking a trip halfway around the world simply to hobnob with other genre writers and industry professionals, but I know it will be a worthwhile experience. There will be plenty of people to meet, … Continue reading Heading to San Diego
More on writers and platform pressure
Oh my, the debate about writers and platform expectations is still raging. Over the past couple of days I've spent hours knee-deep in blog posts and reader comments, my little introvert heart pounding with apprehension. (Hours not writing, I might add...) Rachelle Gardner's post on Wednesday talked about the need to quantify the size of … Continue reading More on writers and platform pressure
An evocative word: darkle
Today I highlight a wonderful word that seems custom-made for the fantasy genre. Darkle verb tr., intr.: To make or become dark, indistinct, or gloomy; to be seen darkly. According to A.Word.A.Day, it's a back-formation from darkling (adv., a.: in the dark), from Middle English derkeling. Earliest documented use: 1819. As far as I can … Continue reading An evocative word: darkle
What I get out of blogging
Today I'm going to muse on a topic that has been floating around the writing industry blogosphere the past week or so -- which is what writers get out of blogging and how big a 'platform' novelists need in order to sell books (or to even be considered for publication by the larger publishers). Anne R Allen … Continue reading What I get out of blogging
The 10 commandments according to McKee
This just arrived with me on email and I feel compelled to share: Robert McKee's 10 Commandments of STORY I. Thou shalt respect thine audience. II. Thou shalt research. III. Thou shalt dramatize thine exposition. IV. Thou shalt layer a subtext under every text. V. Thou shalt create complex characters rather than merely complicated story. … Continue reading The 10 commandments according to McKee
Me and The Doomsday Book
Every now and then you read a novel that grips you by the throat and will not let you go until you finish it, leaving you sleep-deprived and breathless. Such an experience is often a case of instant gratification, but sometimes . . . sometimes if you're really lucky, that novel will be so brilliant … Continue reading Me and The Doomsday Book
Ellen Gregory 