A few years ago, I can’t remember how many, I wrote a blog about visiting my daughter’s high school in east Texas, where I was the guest of their creative writing club. Seven girls and one boy grilled me about the harsh reality of being a freelance author. Finally, one of them asked me, “How … More Getting Paid
I teach a class called Editorial Techniques to my journalism majors, and one of the first things I try to teach them is that the responsibilities of an editor go far beyond just making sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct (although those are extremely important, more important than some indie writers seem to … More The Complete Package–Revisited
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” –Arthur C. Clarke With input from my fellow writers in the Rough Writers, our campus creative writing club, I have been talking about magic and science, fantasy and science fiction, and how one can and should relate to it. I have already expressed my bias against … More Does God Do Magic?
I am somewhat of an odd duck when it comes to my writing. I have positioned myself (with a lot of exceptions) as a Christian suspense writer who also writes science fiction. Here’s why: I am a born-again Christian who also loves science fiction. I believe each has something to teach the other. And I … More Magic, no. Supernatural, yes.
In his immortal book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, William Pirsig tells of an incident he experienced as a high school composition teacher. He told a classroom full of students to begin writing–something, anything. They couldn’t think of anything to write. He then suggested they write about something in the room. They still … More Why I don’t believe in magic
I hope you had a chance to read my newest short story that I posted yesterday. I am pretty proud of it. It is based on the challenge that went out from the Rough Writers, our student Creative Writing club on campus here. We have been building a fantasy world during this school year, and … More Getting the Word Out
Banri L’Chandra stood on the edge of the sky island known as Alash-la and cried. She held the one thing that mattered more to her than life itself close to her breast. The bundle of white cooed quietly, oblivious to her mother’s tears, the threat of violence that surrounded her or even the whipping wind … More Short Story: “A Hole In the Sky”
For those who have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I have been struggling with a form of writer’s block. I have said many times that the way to deal with writer’s block is to recharge your batteries by reading and watching movies, always watching for technique and ideas. … More Baby Steps
I enjoy teaching writing, although as I freely admit to students, one does not actually “teach” another to write. You can guide them, make suggestions, demonstrate technique, but the bottom line is that one learns to be a writer, by, as someone put it, “applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the … More Dress Rehearsal
As you probably know, I’ve committed to running an indie publishing empire since the beginning of 2012. So far, no one is getting rich, but as they say, it’s all a matter of time. And that’s the rub. I need time to write all those gorgeous books. I need even more time to edit and … More Your Most Valuable Asset
