What’s that in dog years?
asked Ryan, when I said earlier today that although I’m a crabby old bat, I’m actually a young writer. What I mean of course, is that I have a lot to learn; and I’m hoping it is possible for an old dog to learn new tricks. I’m currently reading a book about writing by the [...]
What exactly counts as publication?
My goal for this year, next year, actually my ultimate goal of all goals, is to get published. I’ve been submitting stories for the past couple of years, and I’m working on a novel, so it seems fairly obvious what I’m aiming for. Image via Wikipedia Except over the past few years there have been [...]
Breaking the rules
There are lots and lots of rules for writing, and I’m gradually working my way through breaking most of them. Only most – some are sacrosanct of course. Kurt Vonnegut’s rule one for short stories, for instance – 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will [...]
Avoiding Bad Sex
Write what you know, is the rule. And as Margaret Atwood says, “It’s the blood in the cookie that makes the gingerbread person come alive.” In both of the novels I am writing, there are unavoidable sex scenes, places where a closed door or a line of asterisks simply won’t do the job. Reading the [...]
All that jazz – All in A Day
If I sat down and really thought about what I could achieve in a single day, I might be able to come up with some interesting challenges that I think might be possible…. but record a whole album? Well that would probably not be one of them, even if I had the requisite talents. But [...]
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