Hemingway’s Rules
Hemingway died in 1961. Nearly fifty years ago. His work is still required in most colleges and high schools. I hated his work when I first read The Old Man and the Sea. Don’t remember when I was forced to read it. Then I grew up and read more and realized how great he was. A…Read More
Writing and Critique Groups
It’s hard to get honest feedback. But it’s important. I fall in love with my characters. I know what drives them, what they fear, what they want, and even their favorite ice cream. How much do readers need to know? What’s critical to the story? What’s boring? If only we had a way for writers…Read More
More Gaiman Guidance
Still true. https://t.co/GXOc3wfFVe — Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) March 12, 2020 My first draft of Solar Prime had 160,000 words. That’s over 500 pages. Bit long for a first novel. The version I turned over to the publisher has 102,000. Hope I made it look like I knew what I was doing!
Pushing Tech
How scientifically accurate does science fiction need to be? When I was looking for an agent, I noticed that many of the agencies would accept science fiction, but only a small subset were interested in “hard science fiction” – stuff that is as technically accurate as the author can make it at the time. The…Read More
Rules for Writing
Neil Gaiman (neilgaiman.com, @neilhimself) is one of my favorite authors. He wrote American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Anasazi Boys, and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett). I heard an interview with him (maybe about him, and unverified, so consider this as such). In the interview he mentioned that he never shows his first draft to anyone…Read More