I’m writing this post from somewhere in Iowa, riding the California Zephyr from Chicago to Salt Lake City. Since I hate sleeping on the train, I figured now is as good a time as any to write a blog post. One of the good things about traveling by train is that you have lots of… Continue reading Picking up the pace
Tag: career decisions
Heinlein’s rules for the digital age
I’ve been thinking a lot about Heinlein’s rules and how they apply to my own writing career. While a lot of newer writers like to debate Heinlein, all of the long-time professionals tend to agree with him. For that reason, I think it’s worth taking a serious look at his rules and doing my best… Continue reading Heinlein’s rules for the digital age
Struggling not to settle
I’m in the middle of my first revision pass through Heart of the Nebula, direct sequel to Bringing Stella Home, and…I don’t know exactly how to put this, but the story seems to be simultaneously smoother and more shallow. Plot-wise, everything works great; character-wise, there just doesn’t seem to be as much depth as my… Continue reading Struggling not to settle
Should I keep it free?
My first three ebooks have been available for free for several months, and I’m happy for all the attention they’ve received, but I’ve got mixed feelings now about keeping them free indefinitely. Downloads have more or less bottomed out, and they aren’t really driving any interest in my other work, so part of me wonders… Continue reading Should I keep it free?
Random late night thoughts
I’ve been going on a lot of late night walks lately, just wandering restlessly around Provo. Tonight I had some interesting thoughts about how much I’ve changed in the last year. Surprisingly, I’ve grown a lot. Last year at this time, I was all geared up for World Fantasy Convention. I had just finished Bringing… Continue reading Random late night thoughts
Decisions suck, writing is awesome
Whew! I just finished revising through almost 9k words in Desert Stars. I’ve only got three more chapters and an epilogue to go, and man, I am so excited about this story! I have no doubt it’s my best work yet. Of course, I might be biased. 😉 Star Wanderers is also coming along very… Continue reading Decisions suck, writing is awesome
New upload and thoughts on ebooks
Yesterday, I reformatted Genesis Earth and uploaded the new version to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Basically, I took everything I’ve learned about ebook formatting in the last few months and brought it up to date. Here’s the complete list of changes: Revised author’s note to include Facebook and Goodreads links, mention of newsletter,… Continue reading New upload and thoughts on ebooks
Coming along nicely
First things first: the latest post for the Bringing Stella Home blog tour is up over at Michael Offut’s blog; you can find it here. Michael asked me to blog about Brandon Sanderson’s English 318R class, so I recapped some of my experiences, including the best advice Brandon ever gave me. Go check it out!… Continue reading Coming along nicely
Q3 Report, 2011
Before I move on to other, more interesting subjects, I want to take a little bit of time to review how my writing went in the past three months. For those of you who may be new, this is something I like to do at the start of each new quarter. Keeps me honest, I… Continue reading Q3 Report, 2011
What does it mean to be “published”?
One interesting thing about making the shift from traditional to indie publishing is that it changes your perspective on what it means to be “published,” and not in ways that you might expect. Before I made the shift, I felt as if I were at the base of a giant mountain, where climbing to the… Continue reading What does it mean to be “published”?