I need to write a blog post. That is, unfortunately, the entirety of my inspiration for this week’s blog post. I’ve been doing this long enough that I have written about writing, editing, publishing, marketing, worldbuilding, research, rejection, reviews, sales, failure, success, characters, covers, maps, mistakes, lessons learned, things I wish I had known, thingsContinue reading “Feeding the Beast”
Tag Archives: creative writing
A Traveler’s Guide to Lucardia
So, you’ve decided to visit Lucardia. Excellent choice. Whether you are searching for breathtaking mountain vistas, ancient cities, unspoiled forests, vibrant local traditions, magnificent ruins, fascinating religious history, or the exhilarating possibility of being chased across a field by something considerably larger than yourself, Lucardia offers an unforgettable travel experience. Few destinations can boast suchContinue reading “A Traveler’s Guide to Lucardia”
Flashback Fridays #14
This week’s look to the past was originally published on 8/13/21. I’m posting it again now because it is some good advice and a bit of encouragement that I also need to remember from time to time. Many, if not all, of us seek external validation. But perhaps the most important validation is within yourself.Continue reading “Flashback Fridays #14”
I Tracked More Than Half a Million Amazon Keyword Rankings. Something Has Changed.
I know I am publishing a post outside my typical blogging schedule, but I’ve been working on this one for a while and feel it deserves a special place. For nearly four years, I have tracked where my books appear in Amazon search results. What began as a fairly simple attempt to understand whether readersContinue reading “I Tracked More Than Half a Million Amazon Keyword Rankings. Something Has Changed.”
Timelines: The Bane of My Existence
There are certain things that keep a writer up at night. Is this character interesting enough? Does this chapter drag? Did I use the word just seventeen times on the same page? And then there is my particular torment: Timelines. My formal Lucardian Timeline covers roughly a thousand years of recorded history, but once youContinue reading “Timelines: The Bane of My Existence”
Two Hundred Knights, a Bed Warmer, and a Tornado
Last week, I was on a stay-cation, which, for me, apparently means spending most of my “relaxing” time finishing writng a novel. I had been aiming for 2,000 words a day as I pushed toward the end of Sylvanus: Swords and Sons, but once I could see the finish line, that goal pretty much wentContinue reading “Two Hundred Knights, a Bed Warmer, and a Tornado”
Every Wound Has an Ancestry
As I mentioned in my last post, over the last few weeks, I have been looking backward more than usual. Part of that has come from my Flashback Fridays series, which has forced me to dig through six years of blog posts and revisit the person I was when all of this began. Part ofContinue reading “Every Wound Has an Ancestry”
Flashback Fridays #8
This week’s Flashback Friday comes from June 7, 2020, and I chose it because I still need the reminder. When writers first begin, every sentence feels precious. We polish, protect, and defend words simply because we suffered to put them on the page. Cutting them can feel less like editing and more like destroying evidenceContinue reading “Flashback Fridays #8”
Chasing the Current
Sylvanus: Swords and Sons has now crossed 60,000 words, placing me roughly at the midpoint of the novel. After a long and arduous journey, Sylvanus and his remaining companions are preparing to cross into the Northlands and enter the realm of his brother, Koen. It is a major transition in the story, but also inContinue reading “Chasing the Current”
Feeding the Future
I have a dark creature on my back. Something old and cloying has wrapped itself around my neck and learned the shape of my thoughts. It hangs there with its mouth near my ear, whispering in a voice that sounds too much like my own. It tells me what is wrong. It tells me whatContinue reading “Feeding the Future”
