Camping trip #1 was an adventure, but given a taste of freedom, we knew there would be another. The following year, we were a bit older, and although I wouldn’t say wiser, we were undoubtedly bolder. Our stories of chattering coyotes and piss pots ensured a larger group this time, and there were six ofContinue reading “Camping trip #2”
Author Archives: scottatirrell
Camping trip #1
Last night, my backyard sounded like a horror movie. Some critters were fighting and fighting fiercely. A raccoon, with its chittering, was one of them. We live about three miles from Boston, and raccoons are some of the few animals that thrive around humans, so we have some big mamajamas. As for the raccoon’s opponent,Continue reading “Camping trip #1”
Memories of MDC
The other night, I woke from a nightmare, my sheets wet with sweat. I was lost within a derelict campus, chased by moaning spirits. All around were tall brick buildings with dark, windowless eyes, watching me with malintent. It was a frightening ordeal, to say the least, but what made it worse was I knewContinue reading “Memories of MDC”
A Bus to parts unknown
In my last post, I said I would talk about strategies I’ve embarked on to reach my audience, but then I realized that was a terrible idea. If you write, you know there is a lot out there on marketing, promotion, and advertising your books (much of it BS), and I have nothing new toContinue reading “A Bus to parts unknown”
Seeking an audience
Who is my audience? I’m ashamed to say I haven’t had the time to dwell on this question a whole lot. So let’s get into those weeds now, shall we? Pondering this question, I discovered I don’t “really” know who I’m writing for. My audience is silhouettes washed out by the bright lights of theContinue reading “Seeking an audience”
Filling plot holes
I’ve finished my first post-completion read-through of Koen and am ultimately happy with the outcome. I only have one major plot hole, which I am filling now. It looks like it will require writing an entirely new chapter towards the end of the book and peppering some details here and there, but that’s okay. I’veContinue reading “Filling plot holes”
Kid in a candy store
I’m two-thirds through my first read-through of Koen, the stand-alone prequel to my Absolution of the Morning Star series. When I say first read-through, I mean it. It is my first time traveling from beginning to end. I haven’t read the first few chapters in more than half a year, which gives substantial distance fromContinue reading “Kid in a candy store”
First draft of Koen complete!
Last night, I typed “the end” on the first draft of Koen, my stand-alone prequel to the Absolution of the Morning Star series! Writing took almost exactly eight months, with a 633-word daily average. The book is currently coming in at 135,358 words, but I think it will grow some as I have a sceneContinue reading “First draft of Koen complete!”
A spark in the darkness
Recently, I updated my book covers for the Island of Stone and The Slaying of the Bull and noticed something. In my last post, I elaborated a bit on my writing journey and explored how I chose fantasy as my genre, but there is another aspect of my writing that is a bit more fundamental:Continue reading “A spark in the darkness”
My writing journey in a nutshell
Today, I decided to reminisce a bit about my writing journey. I’ve discussed it in my blog before, and there are some details in my various bios, but I don’t think I’ve ever provided a thorough explanation from beginning to end. I currently write dark epic fantasy set in my world of Lucardia. I conceptualizeContinue reading “My writing journey in a nutshell”
