Let us take a moment today to remember those who have given their all for this country. If any veterans are reading this, my sincerest thanks to you as well.
Writing Nonfiction
Needless to say, writing nonfiction is a very different experience from writing fiction. The most obvious fact, of course, is that while with fiction your only limits are those imposed by yourself, with nonfiction your job is to posit straight facts. This can lead some to believe that nonfiction is a more restrictive or boring kind of writing, and for some this may be true. However, I find nonfiction interesting precisely because of the challenges it poses to the creative mind, as well as the opportunities.Continue reading “Writing Nonfiction”
!!! Book Release: ‘Woodland Tales’ !!!
After three weeks of being on pre-order, I am pleased to announce the official release of my new short story anthology, Woodland Tales! For those of you who have pre-ordered already, my sincerest thanks. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, go check it out here.
The Dark Art of Poesy
Most folks I’ve met have a definite opinion of poetry. They either love it or hate it. As a general rule, I’ve always put myself in the latter category (excluding songs, which many of us poetry-haters like, ironically). I’ve always looked on it a bunch of overly long words used in short, choppy sentences loaded with emotional baggage. And yet, poetry has certain appeal to both writers and readers alike. This is probably primarily because of its brevity, but also because in some circles it is considered the highest form of written art.Continue reading “The Dark Art of Poesy”
The Art of Translation
One of the trickiest kinds of writing imaginable is translation. For while there is a creative element in that the translator must decide the exact wording involved, it is more restricting in that they are still someone else’s words he is working with. And then of course there’s the fact that one has to know the original language of the work in the first place! Here I shall attempt to summarize the main points of translating works, on the off chance that you end up in such a line of work.Continue reading “The Art of Translation”
Happy Mother’s Day!
To all you hard-working mom’s out there, thanks for everything you do. May this day be a good one for you.
Writing Dialect
Picking up on my topic of world-building from last month, dialect is one of the best (and in some cases trickiest) ways to add realism to your dialogue. After all, nothing indicates that a particular person is from elsewhere like a strange way of talking. But how does one transliterate another’s way of speaking into written form, especially when that one doesn’t talk that way himself? That is something I will attempt to answer here.Continue reading “Writing Dialect”
Plans for May
April was every bit the month I’d hoped, at least as far as writing was concerned. I completed the final review of my book series, drew a more complete-looking map to accompany it via some mapping software (future post topic for sure!), and continued to work on another rough draft. I also reviewed for one last time my middle grade animal anthology, Woodland Tales, which I’m pleased to say is now available for pre-order!
This month I shall continue my current rough draft, give the final review to my next novel (coming in August), and make a couple maps to accompany them both. I may also continue rough draft work on an older project and begin the research process for a nonfiction book, which I hope to release either late next year or else in 2023!
Formatting a Fiction Manuscript
This one’s been done to death I know, but there’s no harm in going over it one more time. When you give your work to a publisher, the editor will almost always expect you to follow certain conventions regarding the format of your manuscript, and in some cases it can make the difference between acceptance and instant rejection. Therefore, I’ve come up with this straightforward guide to tell you what you ought to look for.Continue reading “Formatting a Fiction Manuscript”
The Process of Self-Editing
Editing and revising can be the most tedious or the most exciting part of the writing process. On the one hand, you’ve completed your rough draft (a stage many people never make it to) and are well on the way to finishing up. On the other hand, going over the same material again and again can be time-consuming (if done properly) and mind-numbing. But if you’re not going to hire a professional for whatever reason, then there’s really only one option left, and that’s to do it yourself.Continue reading “The Process of Self-Editing”
