This author’s note originally appeared in the January 23rd edition of my email newsletter. To sign up for my newsletter, click here. Every week, when I sit down to write the author’s note for this newsletter, I try to come up with something that you’ll find genuinely interesting or insightful. I don’t want to talk… Continue reading 2020-01-23 Newsletter Author’s Note
Tag: criticism
Back to novels again
So yesterday I finished the rough draft of Sons of the Starfarers: Brothers in Exile. It needs work, but at least I’ve got something to work with. Of course, before I can do that, I need to take a break and work on something else. For my next project, I’m going to do a massive… Continue reading Back to novels again
When something you’ve written moves you
So I had an interesting experience today as I was revising Star Wanderers: Benefactor (Part VI), and I’m not sure how to describe it without sounding like “that guy” who gushes far too much about his books. At the risk of being “that guy,” here goes. As writers, it’s far too easy for us to… Continue reading When something you’ve written moves you
Slogging along
So I’m working part time now, making ends meet as I get ready to finish up the year and go abroad for a while. This time, I’m only doing about 20-30 hours per week, so it’s much easier to balance writing with everything. Minecraft is still a distraction, but I think I’m finding a good… Continue reading Slogging along
Why I’m not a fan of writing groups
I was listening to a recent episode of I Should Be Writing today, and it got me thinking about writing groups and how my philosophy on them has changed. Long story short, I used to love them, but now I’m not such a huge fan. I should probably start out by mentioning that I lead… Continue reading Why I’m not a fan of writing groups
Breaking the Top 10, and a big thank you
As I’m writing this, “Memoirs of a Snowflake” holds the #8 spot in the Kindle Store for the general short story category — #150 overall. Almost 1,000 people have downloaded it since it went free over the weekend, and it’s already garnered some fantastic reviews! All this positive attention makes me want to thank all… Continue reading Breaking the Top 10, and a big thank you
Should authors respond to reviews?
In the last six days since it went free, “From the Ice Incarnate” has had almost 2,250 downloads, and with so much attention, reviews are starting to trickle in. Amazon has a very elegant system, which not only allows other readers to vote on whether a review is helpful, but to comment and start a… Continue reading Should authors respond to reviews?
ABNA reviews of Genesis Earth
Today I checked up on my entry for the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, and saw that it garnered a couple of very encouraging reviews! Here’s the first one: ABNA Expert Reviewer What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt? I enjoyed the background of this excerpt immensely. The futuristic technology like images projected… Continue reading ABNA reviews of Genesis Earth
Chomping at the bit
It’s 1:30 am where I am, and I just finished reading through the second draft of Bringing Stella Home and all of my first readers’ comments. I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling right now, but I am so ready to make this story shine! First of all, the story itself is incredibly… Continue reading Chomping at the bit
Thank you readers
I appreciate my first readers very much, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts. Today I got the comments back from a longtime Quarkie friend on Genesis Earth, and she told me that, in her opinion, the book still needs a lot of work. However, she made it very clear when (and why) she was bored,… Continue reading Thank you readers