Sipping tea and listening to the podcast I did with Paul Sating (a lovely human being)… I talk about meditation and writing, how we have to get out of our own way, excavate our emotional selves so we can put it on the page, and find that inner acceptance (“I am enough”) that will allow us to unlock our greatest gifts. From… Read More
ON GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
I’m finally putting some “smart” in the data collection for my author business (some visual basic scripts to make it faster). With 35 novels and a host of short fiction across 2 pennames (each of which is a business of its own), I’ve surpassed the catalogs of some small publishers. I’m Nora-Roberts-level prolific, which means the catalog is going to… Read More
Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol 2): Theme Mirroring (Analysis by Sue)
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 When my son (the writer) and I walked out of viewing Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2, we turned to each other and said (literally simultaneously), “Theme mirroring!” In other news: The Quinn House is a House of Geeks. We formulated a plan to re-watch the movie when it came out on DVD so… Read More
POINT OF VIEW
As a writer, exploring POV is intrinsic to what I do – a story is first and foremost the perspective which is telling it. (Something that is also true for politics, love, and reviews of Last Jedi – I still haven’t seen it, so don’t spoiler me!) As a parent, I’m used to the dual POV (me-as-adult and me-as-child) that… Read More
Defining Reality Situationally
“People define reality situationally a lot of the time, and the further someone is from self-awareness and accountability, the more dramatic that can be from the outside.” – from my friend JC Andrijeski Related: this Burger King Anti-bullying ad will wreck you. This applies to people in general, to characters in books, and to writers themselves. To write is to attempt… Read More
Let’s Talk About Failure…
I do things with a high probability of failure built into them just for the learning experience. So, let’s talk about failure. I fail—all the time, in fact. I’m constantly daring, risking, and there’s a certain amount of failure that comes with that. I don’t like it, mind you. It’s painful. Monetary loss can hurt, personal pride hits are hard,… Read More
The First 200 Words Are The Hardest
Because I’m a nerd at heart. Also because humans are made of chemicals so this intrinsically makes sense to me. Translation for the non-nerds: There’s a thing called “activation energy” in chemistry (also applies to any couch you’re trying to move to find the remote)—it’s a lot harder to get the thing (say a reaction) going than to keep it… Read More
Tidbits from the Emotional Craft of Fiction Workshop
Emotional Craft of Fiction – book and workshop (you can attend the next one in Irvine, CA in Jan 2018!) My back going out on me kept me from one day of the three in this workshop, but the other two were attended propped up in a wheelchair among friends and relatively pain-free with the help of modern medicine. Not… Read More
TRILOGIES vs SERIES
In my book BOOT CAMP, I really emphasize that writing a “trilogy” is the best way to launch a career. Perhaps too much. My point was to write a SET of books—3 book trilogy, 4 in a series, etc, so you have a plan and because it’s much easier to build a career on a series. Standalones don’t do as… Read More
CONNECTION
An essential human need. Babies wither without it. Adults blossom with it. Just now, I witnessed the most adorable thing at the Panera. An older woman—at least 70—and a 20-something man embraced after an effusive “Good morning!” They both have Panera aprons on. All smiles, they set to work, doing the things Panera employees do. How delightful. And these two… Read More
On Reading as a Writer
The Initial Love Affair My relationship with reading is lifelong and fraught with drama. I was madly in love in my youth and early adulthood, mostly SF but also philosophical tracts. Just as I was beginning to want more from books—more romance, more emotional content, more sweeping dramas where humanity was tested at its worst and brought to its best—SF… Read More
TAKING YOUR CRAFT UP A LEVEL
I spent a whole lotta time on my retreat talking about story and craft, something I enjoy only slightly less than the writing itself. My usual advice is to JUST WRITE because I think there is huge value in going through the process of story creation multiple times. But I have to remember that I naturally fold learning into everything… Read More
Writing Workshops
Once you’re not a beginner at your craft anymore, it’s really hard to find workshops that are worth the time and money invested. EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION 2017 (How to Write the Story beneath the Surface) I just signed up for this one because I *know* it’s going to be worthwhile. I took a 4 day workshop with Donald Maass… Read More
Series and Serials Workshop
It Will Always Be Hard – The Struggle of Art
“When does it start to get easier?” the newbie author asks me. “Never. It will always be hard,” I say. I feel like the Harsh Mistress of Author Truths in that moment. But it’s better to slay that expectation in the crib than let it grow into a monster that will cripple that new author. Example: I’ve written a lot… Read More
ACHIEVING THE FLOW STATE
“A composer of music, for instance, may know that he wishes to write a song, or a flute concerto, but other than that, his goals are usually quite vague. And how does he know whether the notes he is writing down are “right” or “wrong”? The same situation holds true for the artist painting a picture, and for all activities… Read More
BEING OBJECTIVE ABOUT YOUR WORK
By popular request, I’m reposting this from my “Ask Me Anything” thread. Harlow Cyan Fallon had a SPECTACULAR question. Here it is along with my response. Harlow Cyan Fallon: “Is there a way to recognize whether your own writing is good or not? It seems I don’t have the capacity to discern it myself. I may write a story or a novel… Read More
DRIVE and Indie Publishing – Part 1 – Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose
I have many thoughts about Daniel Pink’s book DRIVE and how its theories of motivation intersect with indie publishing. MANY THOUGHTS. So many I have to break this into parts. A PRIMER DRIVE is about Motivation 3.0 – the autonomy, mastery, and purpose that drives our intrinsic motivation to work, play, live, and create. Motivation 2.0 is your typical carrots-and-sticks… Read More
Writing Craft Books You Need On Your Shelf
my brain on storytelling Inspired by this post by Sarah Allen, “Tips for Editing Your Manuscript from a Real-Life Editor,” as well as an email from a writer-friend asking about reference books on the craft of writing, I’ve put together a list of craft books that have each had a profound impact (at one time, and often ongoing) on my… Read More
Brainstorming a Book
Need ideas for your book? Unsure where your plotline is going next? Feeling stuck? I’ve had several writer-friends recently have troubles with getting stuck with their books. Each time, I was able to help them get going again with a straightforward brainstorming exercise I learned in Kat Fall’s class on screenwriting. I’m posting it in hopes it will help others… Read More