writing

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POINT OF VIEW: Keeping Hope Alive

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These are troubled times in the world at large. These are troubled times in our little corner of the publishing business, too. Once again, someone in the queer romance world has been credibly accused of plagiarism. Several of our publishers have recently closed, and another is going through a major disruption. Some of my author friends are waiting months for royalties, and at the same time are being squeezed by Amazon and other online retailers. Scammers have figured out how to game the system through a variety of tricks, and skim Amazon royalties off the backs of the rest of … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Back Into the Light

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Sometimes life doesn’t work out like you hoped. Such was the case for me this year with Pitch Wars, the mentoring contest I entered a couple months back. I was so excited going in. I found some awesome mentors to pitch to, including one team that had a member right here in Sacramento – perfect, right? We could meet for long story discussions over coffee at Peets, and become best friends. My story seemed dead-on for what they were looking for, and I figured – at the very least – that I’d get a full manuscript request. Then nothing happened. … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Art & History

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When I was in high school, I loved my art classes. I took pottery and jewelry, and learned to paint, sketch and use charcoals. I helped paint a mural at our school – well, I painted the white frame on a “poloroid” photo, anyhow. And I even won an award for a piece of jewelry I created in my sophomore year. I always enjoyed making art, but I never felt a calling to be an artist. When I came out, I lost two things in a bad break-up with my girlfriend – my comic book collection and my art. I’m … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Fifteen Days of Immersion

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Those who read my column regularly know I am madly working to finish “Dropnauts: Redemption Book One” in time for PitchWars. I just got my editor notes back on Thursday, and now have about two weeks to whip the whole thing into shape. The news from the editor is mixed. He functioned as my beta reader this time around as the time table was too compressed to manage both, so the manuscript was at a bit rougher stage than I would have preferred. He loved the story! That alone made me dance and throw my hands in the air like … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Getting a Little Perspective

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Oh how pride goeth before the fall. Sometimes when you think you have this whole writer gig figured out, life steps in to give you a hard slap across the cheek. A few weeks ago, I ran across a review that was so negative it might have stopped my nascent writing career in its tracks if I had seen it when it was first published, back in 2015. I patted myself on the back for being so much more evolved these days, both in writing skill and in my reaction to my sometimes bad reviews. I’d even half-convinced myself that … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Immersed In Another World

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I’m writing as much each day as I have at any point since Nano four years ago. When I get this deep into one of my stories, I start to practically live in that another world. I’m approaching the end of my latest novel, a solar punk sci fi tale that blends gee-whiz tech, epic scenery, crazy twists and turns, and a pervasive sense of hope I feel like we sorely need right now. I’m writing 1200-2000 words a day, and the story and its characters are on constant rotation in my head. All throughout the day I notice little … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: The Power of Downtime

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Everyone needs downtime. Even writers. I know this, and yet I am spectacularly bad at actually letting myself enjoy any of it. Writer brains, as any writer will likely attest, are strange creatures. Mine is a magpie, flitting through life and chasing whatever is bright, shiny, and new. The other day, we had lunch with friends, and one of them comes from a family of K’s, where every sibling’s first name starts with “K.” And then she mentioned that one of their daughter’s names started with an “E.” And off my little writer brain went. Families with kids whose names … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing at a Dead Run

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I’m writing my ass off. Seriously, I haven’t written at this brisk a pace since NaNoWriMo back in… 2014? 2015? I have the wind at my back. Or maybe it’s a pack of snarling wolves. Or perhsps just the fear of not making it – never quite getting to where I want to be as an author before I die. Hitting your fifties encourages a whole lot of “what have I done with my life” soul-searching. Those who follow me (thanks to both of you!) know that I am gearing up to find an agent, to take the next step … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: When the Story Takes a Twist

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Every writer who has been doing this gig for a while has probably experienced something like this: A character suddenly reveals something about themselves that you’d never guessed when you first created them. Or maybe what was just a minor throw-away plot point or description suddenly blossoms and veers the story off onto a whole new course. Or that guy you mentioned waaaay back in book one suddenly wants his own plot arc in book three. As a writer, I live for those moments – when the writing feels alive, when it practically sings under my hands on the keyboard. … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing Short vs. Writing Long

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Hey all… I am finally moving along on my latest novel, “The Long Redemption” – it’s set in the same universe as the “Liminal Sky” trilogy, but with a whole different setting and cast of characters. For the last three years, I have written two novels a year, and this year, I am giving myself a little break and just doing this one. It’s due by the start of October, so I have nine months to complete it instead of six. So what am I doing with the extra time, you ask? I hav set my sights on conquering SiffWah. … Read more