Category: First Drafts

• January 19, 2024

  Advice for beginning writers 2: don’t force plot

  My first novel will never be published, largely because the plot does not hold up that much. This is because I forced my characters to do some really stupid things, all to advance the plot to a particular place I wanted the plot to go, when that place didn’t end up making sense. A good…
• January 17, 2024

  Advice for beginner writers 1: JUST WRITE

  This is the first in a series of posts with my advice for beginning writers. I’m no expert, per se, but I’ve been writing for over 15 years, and I’ve studied literature and writing in grad school. If nothing else, maybe the fruit of my experience over that time is worth some small something. The…
• January 15, 2024

  Don’t forget that writing should be FUN

  I always say that the “right” writing process is the one that works. There all kinds of ways to write and prepare to write. Some are slower, some are faster. Some involve more work on the front end, some more work on the back end. But what is the “right” process for you? I think…
• January 10, 2024

  When characters act counterintuitively

  Is it ok for your characters to do something counterintuitive? Of course! Great characters in great books do this all the time. The key is pretty simple: just make sure they have a reason not to do the logical or simple thing. Maybe their goals aren’t obvious and the seemingly obvious thing to do doesn’t serve…
• January 5, 2024

  Let your characters face the consequences of their actions (also, my book is on sale!)

  I posed a question to my beta reader for the second edition of book two last year, before I sent the manuscript off to my editor. I asked her if I should soften a particular bad decision one of my younger characters makes in the story. Her response was really gratifying to me. “She’s what,…
• December 22, 2023

  What makes a good subplot?

  Today I thought I’d break down some of the things that a good subplot will contribute to your plot. Every subplot does NOT need to do every one of these. But it should do some of them. What do you think? What are some of your favorite subplots in famous books or movies?
• December 9, 2023

  It’s good that it’s painful to read what you wrote years ago

  I hear a lot of writers talking on social media about how much they cringe to read their older pieces–whether, poems, short stories, novellas, or even novels. It’s definitely hard to go back and look at your older work. If that’s you, and you’re feeling a bit embarrassed about stuff you put out in the…
• October 5, 2023

  Thankful Thursday: grateful for my growth as a writer over ten years

  It’s a crazy thing, publishing a trilogy, never doing much marketing on it and taking it all down, and ten years later, going back to it to make a professional go of it. It’s amazing to see the change in quality from first edition to second, given time, greater experience, and feedback from my editor…
• September 23, 2023

  Moving a scene in my prequel made all the difference

  

  As I write this, I had a great day improving the draft I have a prequel to the Herezoth trilogy. It’s a redemption story. I love it so much! I think I love it as much as any of my other stories. It’s the first novel I’ve written since The Crimson League: The Fight for…
• September 1, 2023

  Do you shoot for a daily word count? Try weekly, or even monthly, instead

  

  I enjoy listening to comedian Jen Fulwiler’s podcast from time to time, and she recently talked about how it can be useful to expand our goals, time-wise, for the sake of our own sanity. For instance, do you shoot for writing 1000 words a day? Do you feel frustrated, guilty, angry, or overwhelmed when life…