The other day, Jeff Goins posted a blog entry titled Why the Hunger Games is the Future of Writing. I respect Mr. Goins, and am sure he’s a fine fellow, but I disagree with him on this issue, and now I’m going to list the reasons why. Please note, these are only my opinions — [...]
Advice From Every Side
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A short one today. Even the most well-meaning friend can unwittingly undermine you with a destructive or demoralizing piece of advice — even when it’s technically sound. By way of example: I recently started passing around a fantasy novella I’ve been working on to some beta readers, with the intent of releasing it for free [...]
Six Ways to Lose Readers Fast
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Authors! Tired of positive reviews? Want to lose your audience fast? Here’s a handy guide to ensuring readers will put down your work and never pick it up again! 1. What’s the rush? There’s no need to introduce the central conflict of the story for at least seventy pages. Readers appreciate “immersion” in your world, [...]
Momentum and the War of Art
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Today, I want to talk about momentum. If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed the three-week silence. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say — I just couldn’t seem to get around to saying it, and the longer I waited, the more difficult it became. In short, there’s a reason nearly [...]
