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Other Blogs Of Interest
- Author Elizabeth Bear — Hugo winner and all-around cool person
- Geek Of All Trades — A “Geek’s Eye” view of life and all things geek. Home of the “Word of the Day.”
- idisagreecompletely — Susan Lewis, blogger, writer, and fellow NaNoWriMo’er
- Interactions in Real Time –Jo Rhett, author and member of my extended critique group family, discussing writing and technology.
- Marmalade, Cat Detctive — Follow Marmalade, star of an upcoming story by my friend Maaja Wentz
- Ninth Circle Press — Snarky T-shirts, buttons, mugs / musings on creativity and humor / flash fiction / snowclones.
- Second Hand Roses — The worst–and sometimes, the best–of thrift store and yard sale finds.
Author Archives: sheilamcclune
Brainstorming Day; or Can You Catch Ideas By Going Out And Hunting Them?
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) I find myself in a situation that’s unique in my life so far: I have more paid time off from work than I am allowed to carry over into the next fiscal … Continue reading
A Writing Challenge; or, Keeping a Long Story Short
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) This week, I signed up for a summer writing challenge with some friends. It’s a challenge where you get to set your own goal for how many words you will write between … Continue reading
Writer’s Workshops and Other Conventions
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Since Samantha posted earlier in the week about conferences, I thought I’d chime in with some other opportunities to learn more about the craft of writing. I’ve gone to many useful panels … Continue reading
My Response To The Prompt
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) So this week, as you’ve probably noticed, we’re doing something a little different here on The Melt-Ink Pot. Earlier in the week, we posted a prompt: “Late into the night, the snow … Continue reading
Procrastination; or, Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Short entry tonight, because I’m about to fall asleep… Okay, I admit it. At 11:38 pm on 4/15, I was in my car, in line, at the post office, waiting to mail … Continue reading
Those Little Habits; or, "You Might Be A Writer If…"
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Came across a blog posting this week that made me laugh, called, “You Might Be A Writer If…” Y’all should go read it. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Just don’t forget to come … Continue reading
More Thoughts on Editing; or, Getting Down To The Nitty-Gritty
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Because I’m still in the process of editing the Regency romance, I thought I’d post a few more thoughts on editing this week. People are always telling me that it’s easier to … Continue reading
Editing; or Why Didn’t I Write This In The First Place?
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) I was asked about my editing process earlier this week, and since I’ve been doing some pretty heavy-duty editing this week, I thought I’d share that here (with a few extra embellishments): … Continue reading
The End; or Finish What You Started
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Last Saturday, I completed the first draft of my work in progress, The Daughters of August Winterbourne. It’s always a strange feeling for me, finishing a book. For some reason, the endings … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged craft, editing and revising, finishing what I started, goals, NaNoWriMo
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Secondary Themes; or, What’s That Lurking In The Background
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) This week, I finally found the secondary theme of my current WIP, The Daughters of August Winterbourne. The primary theme, of course, is that of family, and of working together to accomplish … Continue reading
Into The Home Stretch; or, The End Is Near
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) After writing a few difficult scenes for my current work in progress, The Daughters of August Winterbourne, I can definitely tell that I’m on the home stretch. I’ve begun the big, climactic … Continue reading
A Hint of Things To Come; or … Foreshadowing
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Last week, I did something disconcerting. I threw Celia, the main character in my work-in-progress, off of her airship while it was in flight. Don’t worry, she’s fine. She was wearing a … Continue reading
Let Your Enthusiasm Show; or Play That Air Guitar!
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Watching the Olympics tonight, I saw snowboarder Shaun White take the podium for the gold medal in half-pipe. I know there are stuffy, old-fashioned sorts who would have preferred that he stand … Continue reading
Cliffhangers; or Did It Just Get Angsty In Here?
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Cliffhangers. When done well, they draw your reader into your story. It’s easy to see them in action. All you have to do is turn on your television set. Every week, when … Continue reading
When Inspiration Fails To Strike; or, Technical Difficulties
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) I’ve known this moment was coming since the beginning of November, and I really hoped that when it got here, I’d have the answer I needed, but I don’t. Inspiration has failed … Continue reading
First, You Must Entertain…
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) I attended a small local science fiction convention (COSine) this past weekend. The guest of honor was author L.E. Modesitt, and I was lucky enough to sit in on a couple of … Continue reading
Trembling On The Brink
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) In all of the stories I’ve written so far, I’ve reached a point where I feel as though all of the setup, all of the tension-building, and all of the background work … Continue reading
Letting The Story Flow
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Sometimes, I hate my inner editor. Right now, she’s giving me all kinds of grief, because she’s reasonably certain that about 3/4 of the last 40,000 words I’ve written on my WIP, … Continue reading
Charging The Batteries
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) It’s becoming kind of normal for me around this time of year. My “writing batteries” start to run down. Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I’ve written at least a little bit every day … Continue reading
Maintaining Focus; or … Oooh! Shiny!
(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) This time of year is hard on our inner seven-year-olds. So many distractions, so many things we could be doing, along with the things we should be doing, and there’s never … Continue reading
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