How a Book Is Born, Part 12
In which I decide to kill off a character. And then rescind the decision.
In which I decide to kill off a character. And then rescind the decision.
So a friend of mine read On Manifestos and wondered if I really think my audience reads Nietzsche and smokes Gauloises and cares about the ravings of a long-dead Dadaist, to which my only possible response is, I believe, “Bite me.” Or possibly, “At least they don’t read Ayn Rand like your audience, neener-neener.” Anyway,…
When I first started writing about Lucinda, the female protagonist of The Wanderer series, I gave her a love interest, Lord Stephen, and then I gave him a personal bodyguard named Simon. Originally I thought I would give Simon a love interest of his own in one of the books of the series, and I…
After yesterday’s post about my many and varied personas, I had the usual run of “I wish I could get as much done as you do!” comments. I am never quite sure how I should respond to these. The “I wish I could” is invariably followed by “but.” But I have a day job, but…
The past few weeks, I’ve been talking a bit about what I learned from Acts 2 through 5. But probably the most important thing I learned from the exploration was why I tried Acts 2 through 5. And here’s the thing: I’m always going to be looking for something else/better/different. I get bored easily. I…
Terry Pratchett is wicked smart and his comic novels come with a sting. He found out a few years ago that he is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s, and to read his most recent novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, with that knowledge is enough to make you cry. His young protagonist, Tiffany Aching, and her sidekicks,…
All too often, we spend so much time behind our computers that we forget there=s a whole world out there waiting for us to explore it. If you feel isolated and bored, chances are, you=ll lose enthusiasm for your writing. So a little adventure — getting out from behind the monitor — can make a…