I’ve been working on developing a concise blurb for the novel I’m writing. I’ve gone through no less than four iterations of a back-of-the novel blurb in hopes of distilling the story in my mind. And as of last night, I reduced it further to a one sentence blurb that I’m not embarrassed to put […]
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] I’m in the process of wrapping up the second of two short stories that I’ve written in between drafts of Shadow of the Black City. With each short story I write, my awareness of things grows and my writing improves. Things blurred in the murk of my peripheral awareness are coming
Writing Short Fiction with an Eye on Long Fiction Read Post »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] And you tell me I’m the one you’re not to blame And you tell me I make you feel the same way And we talk in circles but we never say It’s just out of weakness that both of us stay And it ought to be easier When you turn your
It Ought to be Easier (To Leave When You Know that You Have to Go) Read Post »
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
First Draft is a Snot Rocket. Read Post »
Nomad Khyrg al Wahid witnesses an airship crash in his arid highland home known as the Jashem. Two survivors emerge from the wreckage: an ethnographer and his assistant from Bogozechi, a dark industrial city rife with intrigue. Khyrg’s clan rival, Anwar ibn Masaud, having also followed the crash, arrives at the crash site moments later
Shadow of the Black City Blurb v.2 Read Post »
This week I reached two writing milestones: I submitted my first fantasy short story, The River Lords, for publication and I began revising the first draft of my first novel, Shadow of the Black City. Each of these milestones represents something different. The River Lords represents completing a project and putting it out there and,
Writing Milestones Read Post »
Earlier today, I posted another snippet from The River Lords, a short story I’ve been working on for several weeks. The metamorphosis of this story has been fascinating–and educational. About a week ago I thought I had a draft I was ready to submit for publication, but something nagged at me. I wasn’t all that
The Learning Continues Read Post »
I’ve been trimming The River Lords yet again, beginning the story still closer to the end. I’m liking what I’m seeing. Back on the boat, I coaxed dried grass and twigs to fire in a bronze pan that had survived the Yan Gorge. I spitted the rabbits and placed them over the flames, turning them
WIP – The River Lords Read Post »
Mr. Bransford’s contest and all the entries can be seen here. Here’s my entry: I rode from the ruins of Wat Rahm on a collection of flotsam amid the swift waters of the flooded Yan River. The corpses of my brothers and sisters, the Jao Naam, bobbed and swirled past with a languor not of