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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

Day for a Cozy Reread

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on December 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s a cold snowy Sunday afternoon, which seems like a good time for a fun reread. 

Because Murderbot is my Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. (Apologies for the inside reference, but if you know, you know, and if you don’t and you enjoy science fiction, get thee to All Systems Red, stat!)

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s an interview with Martha Wells, Murderbot’s creator.

How Murderbot Saved Martha Wells’ Life | WIRED

Hearing a name like that, you’d be forgiven for running for your life. But the thing about Murderbot—the thing that makes it one of the most beloved, iconic characters in modern-day science fiction—is just that: It’s not what it seems. For all its hugeness and energy-weaponized body armor, Murderbot is a softie. It’s socially awkward and appreciates sarcasm. Not only does it detest murdering, it wants to save human lives, and often does (at least when it’s not binge-watching its favorite TV shows). “As a heartless killing machine,” as Murderbot puts it, “I was a terrible failure.”

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Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash

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Keep Moving Forward

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on November 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“If we wait for the perfect time, we won’t ever write.”

Writer, audiobook narrator, puppeteer and award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal knows that external pressures can do a number of your writing, and that the best way forward is to keep moving forward. 

As a way to help, she’s offering a Free Class: Barriers to Writing

Hey there… have you been having a hard time writing? Yeah. There’s a lot of that going around right now.

This class looks at what keeps people from writing. It’s less about problems with the story and more about all the external things. It covers environmental factors, mental health, and tricks for compensating for all of this to write.

I’m sharing this class for free, because I suspect we could all use both the boost and distraction now and in the coming months.

Hope this helps.

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Photo by Neel on Unsplash

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Leaps of Imagination

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , on November 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”
— Gloria Steinem

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You. Yes, You.

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , on November 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

You. Yes, you.

I see you.

Sitting with a cup of coffee, crossing the street juggling kids and groceries, dozing on the bus, putting in yet another double shift, smiling even when it’s hard, waiting in line to send Christmas presents, working late into the night.

I see behind your public face to the child you used to be, the dreams you still have, the hopes you carry for the future.

I see you. 

And I carry those hopes for you too.

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Photo by Lucie Dawson on Unsplash

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Do What You Can

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on November 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Some days I don’t have time to write, but today I have a different problem. I have time, technically, but don’t have the mental space to write. 

And that has to be ok. 

Do what you can, where you are. For me today, that means being ok with the fact that writing is off the table.

Until tomorrow!

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Photo by Valeria Lendel on Unsplash

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A Very Monday Kind of Quote

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , on November 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

— Vince Lombardi

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Photo by Felicia Montenegro on Unsplash

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A Poem on the Occasion of the Year’s Last Supermoon

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2024| 1 Comment »

This weekend marks the final supermoon in what has been a months-long fall cycle of supermoons. If you have a chance to look up, you can see the moon’s super hurrah for the year before its orbit takes it farther away from us. 

Here’s NASA’s quick explanation for the supermoon, when the moon is closest to us, and its inverse, the micromoon.

The next full supermoon will be on November 5, 2025. Until then, a micropoem.

Night’s shadows await

the Moon’s sly smile, waxing bright

as She steals the stars.

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Photo by Tony Detroit on Unsplash

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Seeds of Success

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on November 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it.”

— Paul Allen

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Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

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A Great Big Bundle

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I just received word that my Writers of the Future book (volume 39 for those who are following along) is currently part of a great big story bundle from Arc Manor.

Bundle | Arc Manor

HOW DOES THIS WORK? You may select either the base bundle of five books or the enhanced bundle of  14 books (including a surprise title by a bestselling author). 

​For each choice, there is a suggested price and a minimum price. When you select either of the two options (base bundle or enhanced bundle), you will be taken to a checkout system that displays the suggested price. You may change this to any price you like as long as it meets the minimum price requirements.

The base bundle has big name authors like Joe Haldeman and Nancy Kress and Kevin J. Anderson. The enhanced bundle contains those authors and more, including Jody Lynn Nye, Robert J. Sawyer, my collection and more! 

If that sounds like something of interest to you, scroll down the linked page to see what’s included, and enjoy!

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Something to Look Forward To

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , on November 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The other day, I started a book billed as a mystery for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. Premise, fine I guess. Characters, meh to mediocre. Overall story, tone and execution? Not for me. It takes a lot for me to put down a book, particularly before the first body falls, but in this case, I did it.

I only share books I like here, so I won’t mention the title. I will say that it’s lovely to find a reliable author. The good news is that Osman has started up a new series and I am looking forward to it. Here’s an interview with Osman and Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher books.

And while I think the idea that writing is a good job for those who have already had careers is a mite limiting, it certainly has worked out for these two authors.

‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’- Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

To me, it’s never about what happens. It’s about: why do I care what happens? And that’s all character…

My default is to write commercial fiction, because that’s just how my brain is. I want to do something that the maximum amount of people love; I want to write something that’s good and then sits right in the heart of popular culture. You want the sort of book where, if you’re on a long-haul flight and you open the first page, it takes you through that entire flight – that sounds trite, but it’s not, because how do you keep someone through an entire flight? You keep them with story, and you keep them with character, and you keep them with wit and with a personality that people want to spend time with.

— Richard Osman

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Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

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