I have been wanting to get into the graphic novel business for a long time. But when I tried to write a graphic novel, I discovered that writing one was more like writing a screenplay than writing a novel. My experience and training ran counter to what I needed to be successful with a graphic … More Introducing…the Graphic Novel
One of the things I have noticed in the past couple of years is how many buildings, memorials, parks, etc. that Our Fearless Leader in Washington has put his name on. Even John F. Kennedy can’t hold onto an art center without a modern president wanting to share its glory. But what I see happening … More Writing and Immortality
The Triumph of the Sun by Wilbur Smith. 659 pages. Zaffre Books. I have read other books by Wilbur Smith before, but this book really surprised me in a couple of ways. Smith is well known as one of the premier historical novelists, especially when it comes to 19th Century Britain in the African continent. … More Review: “The Triumph of the Sun” by Wilbur Smith
I’m currently reading a great book by Wilbur Smith about the siege of Khartoum and the battle of Omdurman in 1884 entitled The Triumph of the Sun. When I finish it, I will be sure to include a review here. But the reason I mention it today is because of the topic of location. Where … More Have You Ever Been to….?
One of the dangers of writing a series where the heroes of your stories go after Biblical artifacts is that you have to make sure the artifacts are known to the reader. In the Foundation series that we are working on, we started off with Salome’s Charger. It told a story of the charger–platter–that held … More So…What’s a Urim? What’s a Thummim?
There are several phases I go through when I am writing–actually writing–my rough draft of a book. The first is the honeymoon phase. That’s when you have this “brilliant” idea that is burning a hole in your mind and you can’t wait to share it with the world. It usually last for about the length … More Getting Rid of an Ugly Stepchild
One of the best things about writing a book is that you are your own boss. You sit in a room–or a coffee shop, or outside on a patio, or wherever–and come up with the words and sentences that help others reconstruct the ideas that are festering in your mind. It’s a challenge, but it’s … More The Joys and Travails of Collaboration
I’ve mentioned here before that early on as a writer I was stymied by those “pros” who insisted that unless you write every day–every single day of your life–you couldn’t consider yourself a serious writer. It depressed me for a long time until I came to the conclusion that the only the real thing that … More The Pros and Cons of Immersive Writing
“Only a fool writes for anything but money.” –Samuel Johnson I’ve been writing a long time, and although I’ve never gotten rich from it, I’ve been able to make a career out of it. But if I had a chance to go back and advise my 17-year-old college freshman self on the fine points of … More Money and Writing
Years ago–back in the Stone Age–I decided to write my first novel. And so I had a basic idea and I took that idea, sat down and started writing. Two years later, I had a book, sort of. Actually, it was a mess. I wasted a lot of time because I would start chapters not … More Outline that Puppy!
