I know it's not a hundred percent ready, and it's not even fifty percent ready, but if I've learned anything over the past few months, it's this: Ready? What does that even mean? The Pareto principle brings some good surprises. And I've got to start taking chances. So I have one solid set of comments … Continue reading [SFT] Takes the Plunge
Category: Writing
The Thing about Sci-Fi
“I’m writing a science fiction novel,” I say. Most people, especially those who have known me in previous lives, ask the question that my statement begged. “Why?” The answer is not particularly sexy. “Because I dreamt the ending and I didn’t have any time to do research before I had to write an entire novel … Continue reading The Thing about Sci-Fi
SFT Has A New Name (Experiment’s Over, Results Are In)
In July 2014, I started an experiment with a blog called "Science | Fiction | Technology". On December 31, 2014, I wrote the final post on that blog. Today, I killed the blog. Well, I didn't exactly kill it. Clearly, you're still reading a post on http://www.sftboox.com. But SFT now stands for "Sort | Filter | Tipple" and I will … Continue reading SFT Has A New Name (Experiment’s Over, Results Are In)
A Write to the Finish: NaNoWriMo and the Better Life
The universe converged during this WriMo’s 2014 win moment. This year’s NaNo wasn’t about just surviving – 2014 was about thriving. Love and the spirit of this annual worldwide novel-ing November made it all possible. This one’s for the WriMos, no matter what color your bar is. The NaNoWriMoment If you want to remember something as faithfully … Continue reading A Write to the Finish: NaNoWriMo and the Better Life
How I Wrote My Manuscript (Or, How NaNoWriMo Saved My Life)
There is this legendary thing I have heard tell of a writer's passion - write or die. I've felt it burn through my veins only twice in my life: last November, when NaNoWriMo saved my life, and now. But the thing that got me to finish my manuscript wasn't exactly that. And when it comes to winning, … Continue reading How I Wrote My Manuscript (Or, How NaNoWriMo Saved My Life)
On Revision: How, Exactly, Do I Murder My Darlings?
After boiling my novel down to Just One Thing and identifying some crap, I need to decide what to do with it all. Here is how, exactly, I am going to murder my darlings (and whether I will in the end). This is how I’m going to go into November armed with that list of scenes … Continue reading On Revision: How, Exactly, Do I Murder My Darlings?
Getting Started: A NaNoWriMo Basics Refresher
November first is fast approaching, and that means hoards of novelists across the world are clanging their swords upon shields in anticipation. To bring my brain back into battle, I'm recalling some basics. Here are some practical steps for getting started, a case study on my relationship with Pantsing and Planning and three principles that helped … Continue reading Getting Started: A NaNoWriMo Basics Refresher
On Revision: A Useful Tool for Deciding What to Keep, Rework and Cut
When my fingers were tip-tapping out words by the hundreds or thousands each day last year, I didn’t think about what needed to happen to get from that first draft to final. Between production and proofreading, there is a Schumpeterian-type (bless you) world of destruction and creation. But what do I destroy? What do I … Continue reading On Revision: A Useful Tool for Deciding What to Keep, Rework and Cut
Chapter 1
She yelled into his ear again. He was late, she screeched, and he had parked too far away. The man held the phone away from his ear for a moment and then replied calmly. Stop being hysterical, he told her – he had arrived. He tapped the phone off and slipped it into his pocket. … Continue reading Chapter 1
Just Keep Going: Finally Getting to My Theme
He’s making me boil my novel down to One Thing. Your novel needs to be about One Thing, he tells me! I fight it. It can’t be just about One Thing! There is a complex and nuanced web of interwoven themes about human nature that… that… Okay. Fine. I can rail at his written page … Continue reading Just Keep Going: Finally Getting to My Theme
