Free Read of Voice of the Sea

I’ve posted my mer story, Voice of the Sea, over in the Baen’s Universe Slush Conference.  This is the story I’ve oft refered to as my ‘Keela’ story, and was a quarter-finalist at WOTF.  You get to it through the Bar link, which may require a sign in/password, then drop down to the slush conference for

Wake-up Call

Have you noticed how often in books (especially serial style ‘B’ books) the characters doesn’t know where they are when they wake up?  It seems like it crops up a lot, probably as a gimmick of the writer to bring the reader back into the picture, I’m guessing.  But how often in real life do

Geography for Fiction Writers

Everywhere I look there are writing classes offered . . . where’s the one in geography?  In my world creation I try to ‘grow’ a people as naturally as possible, paying careful attention to what their language illustrates about them and allowing for the influence that the terrain would have upon them. For intsance, it

Rejection number . . . 11? 16? 24?

The Ghost Spider has been sent spinning out of Shadowed Realms.  The editor, Angela Challis, was reasonably positive though, which is always nice. I’ve also discovered the up side to recieving a growing number of rejection letters–they start to lose their sting.  I know I’m not the first writer (or the last) to discover this, but

Fun Reading vs. Editing

I’ve noticed that I have a hard time editing a story if I’m enjoying it.  I’ve even caught myself referring to stories as ‘fun’ reads, as separate from material I’m editing, but often they can be of comparable skill and even by the same author, so the distinction must be in my approach. For example,

This Week In Words 1-14-07

droit n. Law. 1. A legal right. 2. Something to which one has legal right.  fleshpots >plural n. places providing luxurious or hedonistic living: he had lived the life of a roue in the fleshpots of London and Paris.  incipit n. The beginning or opening words of the text of a medieval manuscript or early printed

Write for Chocolate

I just linked (through my favorite literary one-woman kick-a$$ info scoop, Miss Snark) to a new site which has funny cartoons and interesting reader comments.  Go to Will Write for Chocolate.com if you’re interested.

Blurb Thinking

I’ve figured out that one of my stumbling blocks as a writer is that I can’t sum up what my story is about in a few well-chosen words. My dh asks me about my new story and I launch into a rambling account of this’ and thats’ which include lots of back history but leave out the character’s

Night Owls

In a study done by professors of psychology at Catholic Universtity of the Sacred Heart (Milan, Itally) individuals who were true night owls were found to be more creative than their counterparts. The reason was not known, but the researchers guessed that non-conformity in waking hours might lead to an adaption of increased creativity because the