Category Archives: Writing

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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What’s In A Name; or Does The Shoe Fit?

(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) We’ve had a couple of good postings here about book titles. But when you’re writing a novel, the book isn’t the only thing for which you have to find a name. You … Continue reading

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Welcome to December; or, The Post-NaNoWriMo Hangover

(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Wow, what a ride! November was great. Despite a couple of days when I got almost nothing written — my worst day was something like 300 words — I still ended the … Continue reading

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Getting Ahead Of Myself; or, What Happens When A Story Really Comes To Life

(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot)   (Brought to you by the “Better Late Than Never” department, since turkey coma took over my brain last night…) Well, my NaNoWriMo project is currently sitting at roughly 61,000 words, and … Continue reading

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Being Creative NOW; or What Are We Waiting For?

(This posting originally appeared on The Melt-Ink Pot) Wil Wheaton* had an excellent post on his blog this week titled, “Get Excited and Make Things!” If you consider yourself a creative person at all (and why would you be here … Continue reading

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