Why you can’t charge for fanfiction I enjoy fanfiction as much as, perhaps, the next person. But you still can never, ever charge for it. I implore you: don’t even try. Seriously, put it out of your mind. But aren’t there exceptions? Yes, there are some. But first, let’s talk about why fan fiction is […]
Transitioning from fanfiction If you first wrote in someone else’s universe, and now you want to claim your own, you may be transitioning from fanfiction. Going from fan fiction writing to wholly original writing It’s more than just ‘filing off a few serial numbers’. How writing fanfiction can help you It teaches you how to […]
Bad Reviews Reviewing – Bad Reviews – lousy reviews are tough to write! However, you need to write the occasional less than wonderful review in order to establish and maintain credibility. Not every novel is a stellar one. Not every effort is perfect and pristine. This blog post is about reviewing badly-written works. But if a work […]
Middling Reviews Reviewing – Middling Reviews – fair to middling reviews are harder to write. Because there is definitely a skill involved. But you are probably going to write more of them than any other type of review. Why? Because truly superlative works are uncommon. As always, kindness should be your guide. The work isn’t […]
Positive Reviews Reviewing – Positive Reviews – these are the lifeblood of any independent author. We live for them! But how can you make them even better? Caveats Don’t provide a positive review in exchange for a positive one you just got. And don’t provide one in the hopes that you’ll get one in return. […]
Writing Better Accents Accents can be tough to write. However, not to worry. Because New York Times bestselling author Dayton Ward has some wonderful advice amidst the humor. Distinguishing Each Accent So, can you tell the difference between someone from the Bronx and someone from Brooklyn? And what about Chicago versus Detroit? Or Swedish versus Norwegian? […]
Getting inspiration from TV shows TV shows can be a great source of inspiration. And they can go beyond TV Tropes and even into something (almost, let’s not kid ourselves, folks) profound. So, what do I mean? TV Shows For the most part, we see three kinds of television programs: Comedy Drama Nonfiction And then […]
Review – Cynthia So Cynthia is a fun although ultimately sad story. You see, Cynthia is a Great Dane. And to her sorrow, her master is succumbing to Alzheimer’s. This short story was written for the second volume of The Longest Night Watch. All of the proceeds go to the Alzheimer’s Association. I love the […]
Speculating about the future Speculating is fun. However, future predictions can be notoriously inaccurate. I’m still waiting for my flying car, for example. However, some predictions have been eerily on the nose, such as cell phones, which are a lot like Star Trek’s communicators. So here’s a few idea on how to essentially build your […]
Getting inspiration from life events Life events Life events can be extremely inspiring for writers. They can range from baby showers to quinceañeras. Or they might be religious commitment ceremonies like confirmations. Weddings and Marriages are a special case I’ll cover weddings and marriages at a later date. They generally entail much greater pageantry. Intimacy versus Spectacle […]