Lisa I’m one of those writers who came to writing from reading. I never had any intention of “being a writer,” or writing for a living. I wanted to read books. I still love reading, not only the kind of reading where you inhale the pages out of pure narrative lust, but close reading, the kind … Read more
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Poetry is the philanthropy of the illuminated mind to the dulled wits of those immured in the tragedy of mundanity. —Aero Gantz of Pampa City.[/perfectpullquote] Poetry is the truest literary, spoken and visualized form of communication. Whether sonnet, haiku or that apex of wit, the limerick. Only the poet … Read more
You probably already know about National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. It’s all about writing a novel in a month. But twice a year, in April and July, there’s a version of NaNoWriMo called Camp NaNoWriMo. The basic idea behind the April Camp NaNo is that you spend the month of April working on a … Read more
Marko Kloos is the author of the Frontlines series of military Science Fiction and a member of George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards consortium. Born and raised in Germany, Marko now lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children. Their compound, Castle Frostbite, is patrolled by a roving pack of dachshunds. Marko Kloos has a website. … Read more
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] I still like writing by hand. Normally I do a first draft using pen and paper, and then do my first edit when I type it onto my computer. For some reason, I much prefer writing with a black pen than a blue one, and in a perfect … Read more
You completed NaNoWriMo and you have at least 50k words of rough draft. You’ve put it aside since then. Now it’s time to edit and revise. NaNoEdMo is National Novel Editing Month. It starts March 1. The idea between NaNoEdMo is that you spend the month of March editing your draft. Instead of counting words … Read more
Being a writer almost guarantees that you’re a reader, too. Reading for a writer is often a great way to give your back-brain time to figure out What Happens Next, and reading can provide inspiration for both technique and plot. Plus, it’s fun, even if finding the time to read (and write) can be a … Read more
Joe M. McDermott is the author of seven novels and two short story collections. His latest novel, Fortress at the End of Time, comes out on January 17, 2017, from Tor.com. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an MFA in Popular Fiction from the Stonecoast Program of the University of Southern Maine What made … Read more
Sometimes we all benefit from writing something other than our WIP, or writing with a goal other than Finish the Book, something that provides a bit of structure, and maybe, a supportive community of sufferers writers. A writing challenge is a great way to encourage yourself to write regularly, or as a warm up exercise … Read more
NaNoWriMo is a great writing challenge. Not everyone wants to write 50K words of fiction in November, the basic requirement for NaNoWriMo. That works out to 1,667 words a day, every day, for thirty days. Not all of us are writers of fiction, or have the time and space to write that much every day (more … Read more
