Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
January 5th 2012
Promotion, self-promotion, and all that jazz
See, here’s the thing – nobody likes a shill for their own stuff. For very excellent reasons. If a person – an artist – a writer – doesn’t seem to be capable of uttering six straight words without beginning the next sentence with “In MY book…” – well – there is only so much you [...]
December 15th 2011
Secrets of Writing – Pacing
Pacing is one of the most important techniques in a writer’s tool chest, especially if you write narrative. It is also one of tools least understood by newbies – at least that was my experience when I was an active member of the Online Writers Workshop. What is pacing? you ask. Pacing is the art [...]
December 5th 2011
Fairy Tale Business
It’s instructive, right now, to compare the methods of building on fairy tale tropes as practised by the TV shows “Once Upon a TIme” and “Grimm”. Let me just say at the outset that I started watching both, from the pilot on up. I lasted two episoes with “Once Upon A Time.” I am STILL [...]
November 16th 2011
Research for writers, #4: Get Help
Sometimes the thing you want to research is either so unfamiliar to you or so obscure that you don’t even know where to start. The strategies for these two scenarios are not quite the same, because the root problem is not the same. In the former case, you may be facing an abundance of information, [...]
November 1st 2011
Electronic Means Never Needing to Say “I’m Sorry.”
I am not perfect. Shocking admission, I know. But I have to admit – I *was* shocked when I first published SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL, the second volume in my Jane Madison series. I had carefully done a great deal of research about various aspects of witchcraft — runes and herbs and crystals… One [...]
October 24th 2011
The Secrets of Good Blogging
Last week, I wrote a post asking whether writers should blog, and why. I wanted to write a follow-up for the hypothetical writer whose thought things over and decided to go for it. Having made that choice, what next? Here’s the thing. Blogging is basically self-publishing, with all of the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. [...]
October 16th 2011
Research for writers, #3: LCSH and friends
Sometimes, the things you need to research are the sort where you need more than Wikipedia. You need not just facts, but context or analysis: not the bare bones of what happened in Valley Forge, but a sense of what it was like to live through that winter. Not a three-paragraph account of what started [...]
September 16th 2011
Research for Writers #2: In Defense of Wikipedia
Ah, Wikipedia. Bane of every teacher who has to grade student papers, butt of a thousand jokes. Not a good source for research, right? Actually, I love Wikipedia. It’s an amazing resource, one I make extensive use of. The trick is, you need to know its strengths and weaknesses, and how to get the most [...]
August 16th 2011
Research for Writers, #1: Going There
By the time this post goes live, I will be in Japan. It seems like a good time to talk about traveling for research — aka “oh my god, this is the best scam ever.” The thing that makes it so fabulous is, it isn’t even a scam! If you’re legitimately looking to do research, [...]
August 1st 2011
SFNovelists Sampler – A Year’s Worth of Reading!
About a month ago, Laura Anne Gilman (a member of SFNovelists) said, “Wouldn’t it be interesting to put together an ebook sampler of first chapters from all of us?” And I, being an annoying sort of person, replied, “That sounds like you’re volunteering!” And that’s where things got interesting. Because, you know, usually when someone [...]
Author Information
Alma Alexander
Alma Alexander is a Pacific Northwest novelist whose new YA trilogy, "Worldweavers", debuted with "Gift of the Unmage" in March 2007 ("Spellspam" follows in 2008, and "Cybermage" in 2009). Her other books include the internationally acclaimed "The Secrets of Jin Shei". Visit site.
S.C. Butler
Butler is the author of The Stoneways Trilogy from Tor Books: Reiffen's Choice, Queen Ferris, and The Magician's Daughter. Find out what Reiffen does with magic, and what magic does with him... Visit site.
Alma Alexander
Alma Alexander is a Pacific Northwest novelist whose new YA trilogy, "Worldweavers", debuted with "Gift of the Unmage" in March 2007 ("Spellspam" follows in 2008, and "Cybermage" in 2009). Her other books include the internationally acclaimed "The Secrets of Jin Shei". Visit site.
Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is the author of more than thirty short stories and the Onyx Court series of historical fantasy novels, concluding in the upcoming With Fate Conspire (due out September 2011). Visit site.
Mindy Klasky
Mindy Klasky is the author of eleven novels, including WHEN GOOD WISHES GO BAD and HOW NOT TO MAKE A WISH in the As You Wish Series. She also wrote GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT, SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL, and MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL, about a librarian who finds out she's a witch. Mindy also wrote the award-winning, best-selling Glasswrights series and the stand-alone fantasy novel, SEASON OF SACRIFICE. Visit site.
Jim C. Hines
Jim C. Hines' latest book is THE SNOW QUEEN'S SHADOW, the fourth of his fantasy adventures that retell the old fairy tales with a Charlie's Angels twist. He's also the author of the humorous GOBLIN QUEST trilogy. Jim's short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies, including Realms of Fantasy, Turn the Other Chick, and Sword & Sorceress XXI. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. He's currently hard at work on LIBRIOMANCER, the first book in a new fantasy series. Visit site.
Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is the author of more than thirty short stories and the Onyx Court series of historical fantasy novels, concluding in the upcoming With Fate Conspire (due out September 2011). Visit site.
Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is the author of more than thirty short stories and the Onyx Court series of historical fantasy novels, concluding in the upcoming With Fate Conspire (due out September 2011). Visit site.
Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is the author of more than thirty short stories and the Onyx Court series of historical fantasy novels, concluding in the upcoming With Fate Conspire (due out September 2011). Visit site.
Mindy Klasky
Mindy Klasky is the author of eleven novels, including WHEN GOOD WISHES GO BAD and HOW NOT TO MAKE A WISH in the As You Wish Series. She also wrote GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT, SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL, and MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL, about a librarian who finds out she's a witch. Mindy also wrote the award-winning, best-selling Glasswrights series and the stand-alone fantasy novel, SEASON OF SACRIFICE. Visit site.
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