Yesterday I attended a writing workshop given by author Stephen F Havill, who not only knows a heck of a lot about writing, but also knows about lots of other cool stuff, like flying, gunsmithing, gardening, water systems, and automotive restoration (not to mention various methods of killing people and… Continue reading
Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a pleasant surprise Matt Bell‘s Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts was! After reading the first page or… Continue reading
The title for this post is from the title of a song by Jimmy Page and David Coverdale, Whisper a Prayer for the Dying. As far as I can tell, it’s the only song Jimmy Page has ever done that is any kind of political statement, but it’s a powerful… Continue reading
Sorry about that title! It just sounded so right and this post is about creative inspiration, so…. never mind. Besides, I bet you’re wondering more about the story of the image than the title, anyway. So I’ll tell you. I stole it Well, kinda sorta. Fact is, I was inspired… Continue reading
I’m one of those people who always has too much to do. That’s solid truth. My To Do list goes on and on and on, from big-ticket items to small. The list starts with finishing my straw bale house (generations of birds have been born in the sections of walls… Continue reading
Now what? I get to write it all over again. In early March I got a great rejection from a literary agent. Wait – did I say great rejection? Well yes, I did. The agent had requested the full MS of my mystery/crime novel, and after reading it, told me… Continue reading
I’m featured on Whispering Stories book blog today https://www.whisperingstories.com/the-writing-life-of-lif-strand/ This was a fun interview, mostly about who I am and about my writing, including a synopsis of Evolution Device. Here’s one of the questions and a teaser of my answer: 6) There’s a penguin sitting in your writing chair, what is… Continue reading
It’s been up and down here. Mostly up because I work at it, but with an underlying current of down that every so often threatens to suck me under. But then, nothing is 100%, nothing is forever, right? And things are better for me than for so many, so shut… Continue reading
Shameless self-promotion: I’m on John Scalzi’s The Big Idea today!!! THE BIG IDEA is a regular feature on Whatever, the blog of multi-award winning science fiction author John Scalzi. The Big Idea features essays by authors about the ideas behind the writing of their latest book — the why and how… Continue reading
I’ve been addicted to the written word forever. I blame it on my father’s mother, who read to me soon as I was old enough to appreciate it. She sat me on her lap and followed the words with her finger, and that’s how I learned to read (for a… Continue reading