In case you didn’t know, I have a podcast/substack! Bright Green Futures is all about lifting up stories about a more sustainable and just world and talking about the struggle to get there. So it’s mostly about stories and climate stuff, both of which inspired me to put together a Climate-Conscious Gift Guide for the Holidays. Subscribe to the substack… Read More
Ebooks Are Eternal?
Copyright lasts 70 years past the author’s death. This idea intrigues and bedevils me. For most people, your work provides for the needs of the world today–and often the foundation upon which future work will be built. This is true of janitors and CEOs, nurses and engineers. You are part of Project Humanity. For a famous few, your work rises… Read More
On getting out of the business… of giving advice, that is.
The indie publishing industry is changing. Of course, it’s always changing, but there’s a seismic shift happening in the indie publishing community right now. Many authors are pulling back from public engagement (with other authors), retreating to smaller groups for more intimate connections. The industry is maturing. The scammers are multiplying like rabbits, and there’s a turn toward more and… 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
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
Writing is an Exploration of Self as Much as Story
“It is impossible to become like somebody else. Your only hope is to become more fully yourself. That is the reason for practicing meditation in the first place.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living So many authors suffer from comparison-itis—I did it myself early on, especially in those first painful years when you’re still struggling to find your voice and yourself… 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
Community, Isolation, and Time Alone With One’s Thoughts
In our hyper-connected society, the art of being alone seems almost scandalous. And yet, there are studies which show people are even more isolated than ever before. Paradoxes—our world is built on them. For writers, isolation can be a serious issue. At the same time that you’re struggling with the emotional demands of writing well, the solitary nature of the… 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
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
TRAINING YOUR INTUITION
I wrote this blog post 3 years ago, but I’m still using the concepts today. I’m about to start a new book, and I have to incorporate a big twist I unexpectedly conjured in the last one. *Unexpected* because it wasn’t in the outline, but when I got to writing the penultimate chapter, I realized there wasn’t enough substance in… 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
DRIVE and Indie Publishing, Part 2 – Turning Work into Play and Play into Work
“Once we realize that the boundaries between work and play are artificial, we can take matters in hand and begin the difficult task of making life more livable.” – DRIVE by Daniel Pink I write full-time, which I often call “playing full-time” but in reality, I have three teen boys and a husband and home and a life, and it’s… 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
WRITE THE STORY
Sometimes, especially when I’m struggling with a story, I have to write myself notes to keep myself on-track. For some reason, I write them in ALL CAPS. I’m not sure if I’m yelling at myself, drill-sergeant-style, or if I simply want to differentiate them from the rambling prose and notes on either side of these clarion calls in my manuscript…. Read More