Category: writing process
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I am beyond excited about my prequel
I am just so excited about my prequel. I love this story so much. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s recognizing how I’ve grown as a writer over the course of writing and getting feedback from editors on the original trilogy that came first. Maybe it’s the fun I’m having joining old characters…
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Don’t be afraid to be an amateur
One of my favorite quotes is by G. K. Chesterton, as are MANY of my favorite quotes. The one I’m thinking of right now basically says: “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.” Obviously, this doesn’t apply to literally every situation. The math behind constructing a bridge is NOT worth doing…
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Prequel thoughts!
It’s been quite a while since I’ve physically worked on my prequel to the Herezoth trilogy, but after getting book three into shape, returning to it will be my next project, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It’s in the developmental editing stage–the first and deepest stage of editing that deals with story…
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Eucatastrophe: the literary device I picked up from Tolkien
Tolkien is the GOAT of fantasy. His works are complex, deep, powerful in ways I can only dream of imitating. He was a genius in multiple areas, I’d say. Now that it’s clear that I don’t mean to compare myself to Tolkien here (lol), I’m super grateful for Tolkien, not only for how his works…
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Rewrites versus Revisions
I’ve been shocked over the past year to learn that a fair number of writers choose to rewrite a first draft from scratch rather than revise it. That’s because to rewrite a first draft would never occur to me–not unless I’m trying to work with, say, the failed draft of my very first novel that…
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My characters are like old friends at this point.
One could argue I should not have waited 12 years to get an editor, buckle down, and put out second, definitive editions of my Herezoth trilogy. But (including some time away from my fiction to focus on more important things) I have spent twelve years in Herezoth, with the Crimson League, and their families, and…
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The fine line you have to walk when writing fiction
There is a fine line any author needs to walk. To a real extent, this applies to writers of nonfiction as well, but it’s true of fiction in a unique way. This “fine line” is one of the major reasons we all need beta readers and editors, because it’s hard, if not impossible, to tell…
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Dialogue that I love has these characteristics
I generally love great dialogue more than just about anything else in a story, especially as a viewer (I love classic Hollywood movies for the dialogue!) and as a reader. While there is plenty of action in Herezoth, my novels tend to be dialogue-heavy because dialogue is my strength as a writer (as I’ve been…
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How I craft my characters
I admit that the title of this post is a bit like clickbait, because the answer is: I don’t feel like I “craft” my characters at all. For the most part, they just come to me as who they are–what they look like, their backgrounds, their way of talking, their temperaments and personalities. All of…
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What I mean when I say “Herezoth has heart”
Every writer loves a good review. But sometimes, you get a review that gives evidence that your fiction is touching hearts in the way you’d hoped it would–in the way that you pray it might. I like to say that “Herezoth is for everyone,” referencing my Herezoth trilogy, and I mean it. We all need…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 