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Offer The Coffee Branch: A Plea For Peace From A Coffee Shop Writer
May 28th, 2014
So there’s this: [video:http://youtu.be/APATLrEte9s width:560 height:315 align:center] Family Guy sure has a way of saying what we’re all thinking, like the time me and Brian...wait, no. Nice try, but I'm not falling for it.
Read Column →Path to Publication 2.3: Sequelitis
May 27th, 2014
My debut novel, New Yorked, will be published by Exhibit A Books in January 2015. Until then, I'll be writing about the path to getting that book published... Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema. Full stop.
Read Column →LURID: Dracula - The Grandaddy Of Them All
May 26th, 2014
LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side.
Read Column →Poetry Fun-0-1: How to Write a Sonnet
May 23rd, 2014
I love sonnets. The only poem I have memorized is a sonnet. I probably wouldn't be a poet if sonnets didn't exist; I'd have to invent them or something. Sonnets are the best. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, though. Let me back up a bit. What exactly is a sonnet anyway?
Read Column →4 Signs That You're Not Writing Enough...and 4 Things You Can Do About It
May 23rd, 2014
I hate writing, I love having written. ― Dorothy Parker
Read Column →Product Review: Scrivener
May 21st, 2014
We writers have multiple word processing options at our disposal, with perhaps the most prominent being Microsoft Word and Apple Pages for prose fiction, and Final Draft and Celtx for screenwriting. Both these and other software work quite well, particularly if you've already built up a collection of templates with standard manuscript formatting in place.
Read Column →Like a Broken Record: Are There Really Only Seven Plots?
May 20th, 2014
The human mind has its limits. We seek patterns, and find solace in the safe and familiar. It’s only natural, since that which is new may also be dangerous. But does it also prevent us from creating anything entirely original? Everyone has heard the old saying about art imitating life. People have been pondering over the nature of art and originality for thousands of years, which technically makes this post a part of an ancient Escher-like loop of unoriginal commentary about unoriginal commentary.
Read Column →Edit My Paragraph! The Maiden Voyage
May 19th, 2014
Before I launch into the paragraph edits, I wanted to talk a little about what I call “The quick, brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” writing—prose filled with adjectives in lieu of more “showing” vs “telling” description—and its more atrocious cousin, "The quick, brown fox gleefully jumped over the lazy dog" writing.
Read Column →How to Become a Freelance Writer in 900 Simple Steps – Part 3: Two Steps Forward, One Step to the Side
May 19th, 2014
Taking the Long Way I knew from the start that the line from being a wage slave to a full-time freelancer would not be straight. I also knew that it was only a matter of time before either my time or my money (or both) ran out. That time has come. Not working, as you might imagine, is expensive, and after 5 months of unstructured time at home, I’m back in the office full time.
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