Hey Folks, This is another “extra” post, not part of the regular 10-day cycle. If I could assume the attitude of any other writer, it would be that of Ray Bradbury. There are a lot of quotations about him and from him, but the one biggie I always associate with him is, “I love to write. It’s all I do.” It’s very easy for me to allow myself to slip into living in the past. Had … Read more
Hi Folks, Over at Smashwords, any of my fiction—short stories, novellas or novels—that’s regularly priced at $2.99 or higher is 50% off this week only, now through March 7. To take full advantage of this offer, simply select the books you want and then apply coupon code RAE50 when you check out. Be sure to check for short stories, collections, novels and novellas on my page and on Eric Stringer’s page. Also, you’ll find short stories … Read more
Hi Folks, The guidelines below are truisms, facts, not opinions. They will work for hobby writers, part-time writers and professional writers. If you are not a writer or if you believe you have to “suffer” for your art or any of that, they won’t work for you. Note: I’m all about intentions and facts, not perceptions. If you disagree with any or all of this post, please don’t email me. I’ll just smile, shrug and say, … Read more
Hi Folks, This is a personal aside. It isn’t part of the regular series, which comes out every ten days. There’s some humor here, so I hope you’ll enjoy it. If you take it seriously… well, that’s a function of your perception of yourself, not my intent. Here’s the thing: People keep talking about me having found “my way” to be a writer. Then most often they congratulate me, as if I’d been out in the … Read more
Hi Folks, Dean Wesley Smith is the professional long-term fiction writer whom I consider my mentor. He’s made his living with his fiction for over 3o years and has well over 100 novels published through traditional publishers. This is back before traditional publishers lost their minds and made their contracts completely one-sided. I emailed Dean about my most recent (at the time, back in November, 2014) short story, “Saving the Grenlow”: “Seriously doubt I’m up to … Read more
Hi Folks, Just an announcement today. I’m ever cognizant that there are writers too far away to attend my on-site seminars and writing intensives. And frankly, I’m not doing many of them anymore anyway. To that end, I put together some audio lectures. There are several on various aspects of the craft itself, and today I decided to put the best technique I’ve ever learned back in the lineup. It’s called Writing Off Into the Dark. … Read more
Hey Folks, Back in mid-December 2014 a friend wrote in a private blog post that a non-writing creative project she was working on “would go faster if I didn’t keep redesigning it.” For me, that sounded like her subconscious popping up to slap her around a little. Like me, she’s a proponent and practitioner of just writing off into the dark. That is, we Just Write, allowing the characters to lead us into and out of … Read more
Yeah, sort of. If you’re a writer, you need resources, and the fact is, I’m a good one. I’ve recently revamped the Writers’ Resources listing in the right sidebar of my page. That sidebar contains a list of copyeditors as well as various useful tools: several dictionaries for everything from slang to sex; language translators and conversion resources for measurements, mileage, money and more; invaluable information for would-be independent publishers; character naming conventions; free apps; free … Read more
Hey Folks, Recently I’ve been asked more than once the length of the various forms of fiction. Yawwwn. Stretch. Sigh. Okay, this is one of those “wrapped around the wheel” things that’s great for personal use if you don’t obsess over it. The answer is, it depends on whom you ask. For example, although some major magazines (Asimov’s springs to mind) publish both novelettes and novellas, most definitions online consider those two terms interchangeable. But you … Read more
Hi Folks, First, Happy New Year! I hope it’s perfect for you. If you’re a writer, there’s no better time than right now to go streaking. (grin) No wait… I mean, you know, there’s no better time to begin a new streak. Nah, I’m not talking about taking off all your clothes and racing around in public. Seriously, nobody wants to see that. I’m talking about eating an elephant. Remember the old (very wise) joke? Q: … Read more