I tend to write like a leaky faucet. Drip… drip… drip… 200 words here, 400 there, another 300 there. If I’m in blazing hot streak mode, I might bang out 1000 words in one sitting, but that’s rare. It’s not something I do on purpose, it’s just the way I am. What do I do…… Continue reading leaky faucet
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less of a clue where this is going
Pretty normal day yesterday. Went to work, watched some TV, played a video game. Added 1000 words to the novel. That’s about half the average I want to be doing, so I’m making progress. I want to build up to 2000 words a day by the end of the week, and then start the short…… Continue reading less of a clue where this is going
not nearly enough time
Yesterday was just one of those days where I didn’t have enough time to do all the things I wanted to do. Didn’t help I was on only four or five hours of sleep. I watched WrestleMania with the guinea pigs to unwind. Got through the tag team championship match, then decided I need to…… Continue reading not nearly enough time
the invisible nature of voice
When I first started learning the craft of storytelling, I really had no fucking clue what voice was. Looking back, especially over some of the old posts I took down yesterday, I was clueless. Laughable now. Back then, I would’ve been offended if somebody pointed out my lack of control over voice. Voice in fiction…… Continue reading the invisible nature of voice
after a long damn hiatus
But not really. To date, I have give-or-take 60 publications floating around out there, though mostly under a different pen-name. So I never took a hiatus from writing, at least not of the permanent kind. I’ve just been busy writing and publishing erotica for the last four years or so. And now the time feels…… Continue reading after a long damn hiatus
Friday Morning Pages: Sensory Detail Practice
Now we’re going into the nuts and bolts of how to practice writing. At this point, either you’ve bought my argument that you need practice, or you haven’t. I hope you have, no matter what your skill level currently is at.
Friday Morning Pages: Getting Started with Practice
Mystery writer John D. McDonald has a famous quote (paraphrasing a bit): You have a million words of crap in you before you can write a publishable novel.
The more stories I write, the more I see how true this is. When I first started, I couldn’t plot my way out of a paper bag. I knew jack about character development. I had no grasp of voice, or setting, or pacing. Don’t tell the younger-me any of that.
Friday Morning Pages: Write Scenes
One sentence at a time. Or one page at a time. However you divide up your novel, it should be in small enough chunks to be easily chewed. I tend to focus on the level of scenes. Fifteen minutes here, 250 words there, by the end of the day if I’ve put in enough writing time, I can get a scene.
2017 Short Story Challenge
I’ve been bitching to people lately that I want to write more fantasy and science fiction. I’m far from bored with the stories I have been writing, but definitely something is missing. And I want to be more productive. So here’s the new challenge: Post a short story to this blog every Tuesday in 2017.…… Continue reading 2017 Short Story Challenge
Goodbye 2014!
Lots and lots of changes in the last year. I’m both pleased and disappointed in what I’ve accomplished. I learned a lot, but had many missed opportunities to do so much more. I feel I’ve gone from learning how to write, to learning how to be a storyteller. Huge world of difference. If you don’t…… Continue reading Goodbye 2014!
David Anthony Brown 