New Interview And New News
So, it’s like this: recently, thanks to Gwenda Bond and Jeff Vandermeer, I was afforded the opportunity to interview one of my writing idols — horror and storytelling legend, Robert McCammon. There was, of course, no hesitation on my part; the guy tells amazing stories. I lay the blame of my decision to become a writer at his feet, in fact, thanks to books like Swan Song and Boy’s Life. He’s got a new book out — The Providence Rider — and we talked about that and his career and... Read The Rest →
Self-Publishing And The Burden Of Proof
“Whoever said that life is fair? Where is that written?” – Grandpa, The Princess Bride Last week I wrote a probably-too-cranky post about the bad apples bobbing around the self-publishing bucket, and that post got a little attention as it pinballed around Ye Olde Webnet, and as such, it received a number of interesting responses here and there and everywhere. I thought it best to continue this discussion and, this time, tackle it with a little less, erm, invective on my part. Because I think we’re scratching at some very... Read The Rest →
25 Things To Know About Writing The First Chapter Of Your Novel
You'll notice a pattern in this list, and that pattern is: the first chapter serves as an emblem of the whole. It's got to have a bit of everything. It needs to be representative of the story you're telling -- other chapters deeper in the fat layers and muscle tissue of the story may stray from this, but the first chapter can't.
It’s A Great Time To Be A Storyteller
Happy Memorial Day, y’all. Very short post today: It’s a great time to be a writer and a storyteller. It’s not the easiest time, no. But it is a great time, just the same. We have more options than ever. The Internet has given us tools and connectedness. Our stories can travel lickety-split with the click of a mouse or the swipe of a finger. We can connect with other creators and collaborate. The audience can collaborate with us. We can publish big, small, or by ourselves. We have artists... Read The Rest →
Flash Fiction Challenge: One Random Sentence
You will get a random sentence and you will use it as either the first or the last sentence of your up-to-1000-word flash fiction entry in this week's challenge. For instance, I got the sentence: "The textual silence swallows against the geometry." I have no idea what the fuck that means, but it's great.
