November Querying
Jennifer Laughran, a literary agent (@literaticat on Twitter), posted: If you are an author who is scrambling madly to query / get a ms out on sub "before the end…
When Characters Become Real
It has been a tough week, and I am tired and a bit maudlin. I am thinking of Maggie, my main character in Members of the Cast. I made her…
Circle Life
We all are busy, so I will limit my remarks to extra annoying interferences keeping me from writing. Goal: Complete The Ship from Wolfskill this fall. Writing Event: A beta-reader…
Cleanup
A Short Story that will Need Hours of Cleanup Prolog Man Selling Us Graestone: The basement doesn’t leak. George, for ten years: The basement doesn’t leak! Gutters The gutters around…
Book Roots
Where did I get the idea for Members of the Cast? I think it started with the house. Before we were married, Ruth and I drove to Pasadena to look…
Twisted Plot
This article is not about plot twists. It is about a twisted plot, or perhaps a plot that needs a little twisting to make it right. I am a big…
Evaluation
Seven months and ten days after Members of the Cast was published, it may be time for evaluation. So, I give you some statistics: I sell a book every 1.2…
172 Impressions and No Clicks
Self-publishing makes you a writer, speaker, and publicist if you want readers. In an earlier blog article, I discussed Kindle Ads for books. Today we delve into Kindle Lockscreen Ads.…
Beta Reading
I love my beta readers and critique partners, but I am a plodder. I make glacial movement through books. I am far behind in my work. I excuse this by…
Book Talks 2
Do public book talks help sales? Members of the Cast has been out six months. To be honest, sales started with a bang and have tapered off in the months…
Writing Romance
If you clicked on this blog to find a discussion about love and sex, you will be disappointed. Today, I am thinking about writer vs. manuscript, author vs. book. Do…
Radio in the Night
I am not a poet, but in early October “the fall feeling” comes, and I know it is time to write poems. You can find a few here: Poems. I…
Fair’s Fair
In Gore Vidal's Lincoln, General Grant is about to receive Lee's surrender. Lincoln says, "Let him up easy, General. Let him up easy." Sometimes I wonder whatever happened to women…
Autographs
This chatty blog is not going to settle any deep problems associated with writing. I spent hours writing Members of the Cast. Days. Months. Years. There is nothing unusual about…
Buckeye Girl
In the canyon, one dayWhen I was young I suppose Father had gone to workI found Mom in bed with sheetsOf typing—sheets and sheets of typing She had To Kill…