Before the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa season I reached approximately the half way mark in my second draft of Shadow of the Black City. I’ve got a pretty good idea of the large story arc and have enjoyed filling in the gaps. Then the holidays came and the writing stopped. It’s been a good break because I’m forcing …
Steampunked: Keeping the Novel Afloat While Surfing the Genre Read More »
…he felt a loneliness he’d not known since he was a child and he felt wholly alien to the world although he loved it still. Cormac McCarthy All The Pretty Horses [tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] Look at those words. They are not $100 words or $10 words or even $1 words. Those are the words …
I never read as much as I’d like. Does anyone? When I do read, I like the stories to be thought-provoking, and resonant. I like to care about the people about whom I’m reading, whether fiction or non-fiction. Of the books I read in 2009, these are the ones that lingered longest (in a good …
Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of my friend Jesse. I think about him every day and miss him like hell. Over the last several years we didn’t talk as much as either of us would have liked, but when we did, we just picked up where we left off. Jesse was …
Check out the cool Van Gogh picture to the left. Using high intensity X-Rays, Scientists discovered the face over which Van Gogh painted Patch of Grass. Cool. Even cooler is, unlike scientists at Delft University, you’re the one adding the layers and your readers get to uncover them. I’m a little over a third of …
Knowing what I know now, I’ll be happy to blow out a disjointed, gangly mongrel of a first draft in the future if only to clear my mental sinuses. I mean, if that’s what it takes to get a tighter second draft that I might actually enjoy reading, then sign me up. Lemme ‘splain: The …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPMWWEscRP0&feature=player_embedded] Jeff Vandemeer’s post on author platform got me to thinking. Really thinking. If you haven’t watched, do yourself a favor and take the 4 minutes to do so. Sure he’s pimping his book Booklife, but he’s doing it because he sees a need. He’s experienced enough of the insanity of the writing life to …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB0EYZooakU] The barn leaned over The vultures dried their wings The moon climbed up an empty sky The sun sank down behind the tree On the hill There’s a killer and he’s coming Through the rye But maybe he’s the Father Of that lost little girl It’s hard to tell in this light And I …
In the secret space of dreams, where I dreaming lay amazed. When the secrets all are told, and the petals all unfold. Attics of My Life – Grateful Dead As a writer, I dip into my memories, scrounging around for bits and pieces to create my Frankenstein stories – not literally mind you, just that …
One of the many problems with my first draft of Shadow of the Black City was the weakness of the desert magic. I hadn’t put enough time into it – and, really, I don’t think I was ready to tackle the issue. I knew this was a problem before I even started revisions, so I’ve …