Something I Would Be Embarrassed to Be Seen With (Friday Snippet)
One of the problems I’ve been wrestling with as a writer is that I don’t plan my stories in enough detail. That is, I know what the story is about, and I know where the story is going, but as I’m writing, I hit walls in the plot, and I need to stop, back off, […]
Finding the You in Your Writing; Finding the Genre in Your You
Too many novice writers–and more than a few professionals–have a wrong idea about genres. This wrong idea can hinder a writer, keep him from finding inspiration in what they write. He thinks that his genre defines his writing, that his writing “has” a genre. But your writing is not what “your genre” is. Genres are […]
A Friday Snippet on Thursday
I love it when writer’s block breaks. This time, it was an exercise in Holly Lisle’s Create a Plot Clinic e-book that broke the block. I still teeter on the edge of believing whether writer’s block even exists. On the one hand, it is truly all in your mind, and simply reorienting your thoughts will […]
Presenting Abe’s Turn, the Novel
Below is a digital mock-up of the first, 4-episode set of The Conscience of Abe’s Turn, which I’m putting together as a 6×9-inch trade paperback for release in April. This first volume spans about 250 pages, including 4 novelette-length episodes plus bonus extras. I’ve been ad-testing graphics and text, and this design represents one of […]
Friday Snippet, and a Valentine’s Gift for Writers
I know I haven’t posted a Friday Snippet in a long time. That’s because my top writing priority has been The Conscience of Abe’s Turn. So here’s a snippet from the upcoming (not posted yet) chapter of Abe’s Turn. But first, I have a Valentine’s Gift for writers who are fans of Holly Lisle’s excellent […]
2 Virtual Holiday Gifts Bloggers Love to Get
These are some of the best holiday gifts you can give a blogger. And the best thing about them is they’re absolutely free! Clayton Makepeace put me onto this idea, and it struck a chord, even though he doesn’t even have a blog. He has an e-zine. Actually, this is also the best gift you […]
Yesterday I Went Swimming in the Jury Pool
I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to. I got pushed in, as it were. That’s one of the things I hate about swimming in the jury pool; no one ever does so by choice. The other thing I hate is that it’s filled with shark-infested water. In this age of big-brother paranoia, there are […]
Friday Snippet: The Widow’s Granddaughter (2)
Here’s the second part of “The Widow’s Granddaughter.” This story uses a character, Jeffrey Tanner, I developed as an example for 1001 Character Quirks for Writing Fiction. I also developed the other characters using the same process I describe in that ebook, but Jeffrey is the only character I use as an example. -TimK P.S. […]
What It’s Like to Finally Finish My First eBook
It sounds like such a simple thing. A list of 1001 character quirks for writing fiction. This is a tool I use as part of my own character-building process, because having a list of raw ideas makes it much easier to come up with the right idea at the right time. You might think that […]
Friday Snippet: The Widow’s Granddaughter
Here’s the beginning of a story I’ve been working on for a very special project, which I will be announcing soon (I hope). I’m not yet firm on the title, but I’m really liking “The Widow’s Granddaughter.” -TimK P.S. Please leave a comment telling me how you like it. WARNING: This story contains strong language […]