Good morning from the trenches, come on in, your emotions are fine. This piece is for my fellow writers in the trenches of the querying process. For all the other writers out there who have yet to query, once you choose to join us here in these trenches, I hope this blog serves as both
The process of bringing a book from odd idea to full fledged novel is a circuitous path. Each book is a road which must be walked. This could take months or years before you, the creator, are happy with the overall finished manuscript. Hindsight is 20/20 they say, but I don’t believe them. Trust your
I find myself in a far different place than a week ago. Yet, even as I type these words, not much has changed. The pitch contest is over. The conference is done. The lessons are laid bare at my feet and now I must make a critical decision as to where to go next. With
I spent Saturday at Writer’s Workshop of Chicago, an event I’d marked on my calendar for many months. This was going to be the day where I’d live pitch my most recent work, and get someone interested in it. That’s the point of any pitch – it’s a sales message. This is what trips up
When I think of great fantasy worlds I consider a few at the top when it comes to the sword and sorcery dance. The Riftwar Cycle by Feist, Brooks’ Shannara series, Weis & Hickman’s Dragonlance books, and Tolkien’s tales of Hobbits. Now there are thousands of fantasy book series – probably more like tens
Stasis is by its very nature a fixed point. The regular order of our lives tips us close to stasis, and that’s where reality prefers us to be. Partly out of a need to keep us in line and partly to keep the rest of the world spinning right along. You get up, you go
Today is Easter, or is it? I grew up in the church and my mother’s voice still rings in my ears when it comes to holidays. It meant getting up early, getting dressed up, and fighting with a cowlick for a good ten minutes before heading out the door. Easter was a day to praise
Once a torrent of activity, my hands have gone quiet. The fingers do not feel the flow of quicksilver to press the keys and forge new paths and stories. This is good. Writing is the act of forging, taking the lump of steel and hammering it until a final product shines through. That act –
It took me longer to press the send button than I thought it would. I almost held my finger back and made another excuse from the long list of Author Excuses™ because sending your manuscript out is terrifying on several levels. Even to beta readers. People you know and trust in their opinions. Once you