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 …
I spent time last night talking with a friend, Ben Curnett, who I don’t see that often. The conversation turned to books and he threw out a couple of books he had read and enjoyed. He mentioned Bernard Cornwell’s Arthur Books and Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind. I look forward to checking them out. …
I finished a second revision (rewrite is more accurate) of The River Lords last night. I’m pleased with the effort. I went from 10k+ to under half that at 4848 words. I’ll give it the once over to cut a little more fat and tighten up story elements. After that, I’ll begin to submit it. …
I read this post at The Magic District blog and thought it captured the essence of marketing, whether done by the Big Boys on Madison Ave. or Bob C. Author on his Mac. I touched on this topic here, looking at the efficacy of book trailers. Really, that’s the tip of the iceberg. I worked …
Every so often I can use a kick in the pants–a little shot of inspiration. I need to know that the masters of writing either struggled like I do or are willing to share what made writing easier for them. Just a little something to which I can cling. John Steinbeck -Convey something from yourself …
The sampan dipped into a glassy trough and then climbed the shining face of the next wave. As it teetered on the peak, I lunged to the right side of the bow. My weight felt insignificant against the waterlogged boat, but it had the desired effect. The sampan pivoted and began to fall down the …
Yesterday I took a brief look at book trailers. Uninvoked stopped by and relayed her experience with trying to get the word out and how if a trailer looping endlessly in cyberspace is all well and good, but worthless if no one sees it. Here is her comment: I don’t think many people know to …
Words and Coffee as seen by wordle.net. I borrowed the idea from Cory Doctorow’s post. He hacked the post and entered his name and Little Brother a whole heap to make them stand out. I like it. I wish there was a way for it to consider all posts from the blog, but what do …
Book trailers are no longer novel (that pun’s free of charge). However, they still bear discussion because of their continued widespread use and debatable effectiveness. I finished Anathem, by Neal Stephenson, about a week ago. Great book. I loved the juxtaposition of cloistered monastic life with raging 21st Century (and beyond, really) culture outside the …