Some Tarot Thoughts

I'm moving on to a new writing project. Or, I will be. If I can decide which one to tackle. This requires a lot of thought. I have finished a middle-grader fantasy. Should I work on a new book set in that world? What if that one doesn't sell? Should I work on one of … Continue reading Some Tarot Thoughts

FrostFire Worlds

Remember how great it felt to curl up as a kid with a collection of short stories? You could drop in and out between chores or during lunch at school. I remember reading them on long car trips, too. FrostFire Worlds is a market for younger readers who like speculative fiction. It's one of the … Continue reading FrostFire Worlds

The Moon Fight

Drew has to battle for the right to be Baba Yaga's apprentice. The rules are simple: give your opponent an emotional experience that changes a long-held belief. But, the rules don't specify "human" emotions... There's a new short story on my Patreon! For the full read, click over and pledge a $1/month. You'll get more … Continue reading The Moon Fight

MAPS!

I was lounging in The Chairs at Miscon 32 with a friend, Jeff Howe. We hadn't seen each other in a year, so we were catching up on each other's lives. He mentioned he was going to use some old National Geographic maps as story prompts. Enamored with this brilliance, I told him I'd be … Continue reading MAPS!

Collaborative Brainstorming

This was a new panel for Miscon 32, and I loved the honesty of it. Rhiannon Held, urban fantasy author, and Krista Wallace, author/actress/musician, spoke and acted. They listed ideas and then modeled behaviors - ones that opened up creativity and others that closed it down. My notes are practically illegible, but here's what I … Continue reading Collaborative Brainstorming

World-Building, Part II

The world-building panel at Miscon 32 moderated by Brandon Sanderson was crammed with ideas. This is Part Two. On designing governments, Sanderson said he's fascinated with the push/pull of who is said to be in charge versus who is actually in charge and who makes law. He recommended C.G.P. Grey's Rules for Rulers. He added … Continue reading World-Building, Part II

World-Building, Part I

This panel at Miscon 32 was full of people saying things from brains that aren't my own. It was wild. You know what I mean by that, right? Someone says something, and you think, "Whoa. What a cool way to view the world!" And your viewpoint shifts as if they pulled aside a blue veil. … Continue reading World-Building, Part I

Brenda Carre

Brenda Carre has dialect-writing superpowers. She's also pretty great at world-building, visual arts, and helping other writers grow. Originally, I was going to write about her ability to stretch out detail and movement in her writing. I attended her reading at Miscon from her current work, Truth-Seer. Her advice of expanding on what has just … Continue reading Brenda Carre

Retrofitting Structure

This panel was for those of us who write our first drafts without a rigid structure like outlining acts or knowing our plot points ahead of time. There's no right or wrong way to get out a first draft. Once it's out, though, you're going to need to shore up the edges and see where … Continue reading Retrofitting Structure

Miscon 32 – Year of Lost Heroes

The theme this year was prescient for 2018, eh? Montana did not let us down. The convention was once again a meeting of like-minded individuals mingling and making a family of strangers. There's a reason we attend this convention every year without fail. You won't find a nicer group of people anywhere. This was the … Continue reading Miscon 32 – Year of Lost Heroes