Oh, this poor blog. There are cobwebs in the corners and patches of mildew on the ceiling, and I think raccoons may be nesting in the attic. I gave up even my feeble attempts at housekeeping a while ago. When I have to drive by it, I avert my eyes from the overgrown front yard. …
There’s a Facebook meme going around that is, roughly, “List 10 books that have been influential on you or your views of literature.” I did my list this morning and decided it would be useful to write a little further about them. Caveat: they would not all be on my list of Favorite Books or …
The typical epic fantasy includes a fairly hierarchical class structure with a ruling nobility, members of whom often feature prominently in the storyline. This is pretty much de rigeur. Heroes might be thieves, or farm boys making good, or struggling artisans, but they get swept up into adventures that include, in one way or another, …
My attention this morning was caught by a couple of online discussions about what “epic fantasy” is, one on Mythic Scribes and one on Fantasy Faction. Both got my mind spinning in various ways. I’ve realized that I have a lot to say on the subject, so this will be more of an introductory post, …
The two mentions of Moth and Spark in review publications thus far (Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal) have both used the word “conventional” to describe the book. This is true so far as the plot and much of the setting, and I have used the word myself. The conventionality exists because the book has …
Sometimes I tell myself these things when I’m writing something new, but usually it’s when I’m revising that I really have to pay heed to them. Some people might call these tips or rules for writing — I would say they are more like self-admonishments. The order below is roughly the frequency, highest to lowest, …
Today I cut over 3000 words. Ouch. It would hurt more if it had been good stuff that just didn’t fit, but it was pretty much crap. I also relearned that if none of the changes I make to a bad sentence improve it, I probably don’t need the sentence. The good side to this …
(This is just a rambling, think-aloud sort of post.) So I’ve been thinking about the textures of writing. Textures is my word for it — other people might call it depth or richness. What I’m talking about is the difference between eating a handful of potato chips and eating a baked potato. Book A …