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Defense Against the Dark Arts – Writer’s Block Edition

Help! I’m Stuck at 10K Words! First of all, don’t panic. Ten thousand words is nothing to sneeze at and you’re well on your way towards a complete novel. In fact, congratulations are in order. Normally when my brain stops sending typing instructions to my fingertips it’s because there is something it’s still working on. […]

Writing Short Articles for NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is a great time to build up a collection of short articles that you can schedule during the next year. It’s a reasonable method to build up your word count while simultaneously getting more blog posts. Since my blog is about writing in general, I like to include how-to articles and other subjects useful […]

Road Writing

  There are times during NaNoWriMo where one has to become mobile. This does not mean you’re off the hook for your daily goal! It means you need to adapt, improvise, and overcome. Here’s a couple of suggestions to help you. Phone Apps and Thingies There are several apps that you can use to translate […]

Why Blog?

I know a lot of author folks who let their blogs languish. After all, if only a few visitors pop in, why go through all the hassle of putting up stuff? Sudden Celebrity If one of your books started selling thousands of copies a day, there are going to be a flood of folks who […]

Flash Fiction Story: Lightpath

Crew Log 233: This is my second day trapped on the event horizon of a black hole. I’m not the only one, though. No matter what direction I look there’s another person following me. He’s wearing a similar space suit and always has his back turned towards me. He never gets any closer. I’ll report […]

Goals, Fears, and Fuzzies

Publishing Goals I came to the realization that I’ve been writing professionally (off and on) for forty years. I’ve hit all of my major goals over the years. It’s a lucky thing that I have so many stories trying to get out of my skull before I keel over…they keep me going as a writer. […]

Small Publisher Series: James Ward Kirk Publishing

James Ward Kirk Publishing This micro press run by (no surprise) author and editor James Ward Kirk puts out several unique anthologies per year, plus a couple of annuals. This is a for-the-love or a token payment press (two $25 awards for the top two submissions). I love many of their anthology concepts and come […]

ArchonSTL 41

Archon St. Louis is a speculative fiction genre convention based in…wait for it…Collinsville, IL. It’s just over the border from St. Louis, Missouri. The con is typically held at the Gateway Convention Center and the Doubletree Hotel. I just arrived home from ArchonSTL a few days ago. This is the 41st year of the convention, […]

The Author’s Law of Momentum

Have you ever had someone toss you a watermelon? The big ones are tough to catch because they can slip out of your hands due to momentum. Similarly, finishing a writing project and holding a copy in your hand is always a good feeling that’s tough to hang on to when you have to figure […]