Category: Indie Author
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How can you know when a novel is good?
How can you know when a novel is good? You can’t. You can know when a novel is finished. (When you’re done writing.) You can know when a novel is appreciated. (When a reader gives you positive feedback.) But you can’t know when a novel is good. You can know when a novel is award-winning.…
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Integrity: Can it be lost and then re-found? (Philosophical musings of my next novel.)
He is a man of integrity. Have you ever heard someone referred to as such? What does that really mean? A man of perfection? A man of excellent decision making abilities? A man who is trustworthy and honest? Isn’t that actually quite a heavy anchor to put on someone’s shoulders? I remember a former pastor…
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Those who seek people, those who avoid people
I’m a writer and an introvert. A very non-volatile combination if there ever was one. If you can’t figure me out, you’re not alone. I’m one of those terrible “avoiders.” I purposefully go out of my way to avoid people I know. I have no idea why I do it. Often times when I see…
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I Don’t Have the Luxury of Agonizing over Words
What brought this topic on was that I was revising my new novel’s manuscript last night and I read and re-read one sentence which I knew could be better, but it just wasn’t fixing itself and my brain wasn’t helping. I finally moved on, realizing that I would have to live with that phrase for…
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New Excerpt from “The Reach of the Banyan Tree”
In this excerpt, the small teen, Long, who is large in spirit and hatred for the French colonialists, insists on trying to shoot a rifle and almost ends up shooting an Allied plane. Setting: Tan Trao – Tonkin, French Indochina – July 16, 1945. Enjoy. “Can I try?” “We don’t allow skinny school boys to…
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Free Plagiarism on the Internet: Another stupid consequence of our digital age.
The electronic cheating never ends. A few days ago I published this ARTICLE about the dark side of the publishing industry. Now here we go again. At least this stupid comment that someone left me on WordPress gave me an idea for a new post, so that’s something. Here’s what “Kasey” wrote to me: “Hello webmaster…
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If you speak vulgarly, do so in all your languages.
I don’t use vulgarities. That’s my choice. They were never heard in my household when I was growing up. I was taught the usage of vulgarities was in poor taste and simply made people sound silly and uneducated more than anything else. Some people use them all the time, and that’s their right. I personally…
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Writing Forecast: 2015
A deliciously light breeze from the west lifts spirits and places smiles of satisfaction on writers everywhere. The sun’s hues glitter on the placid ocean as a million shades of contrasting blue. I would say the forecast for writing in 2015 is peaceful and inviting. So here are the writing projects I have on my…
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Ready to Move On, But Another Revision Awaits
I’m a firm believer in letting a finished work sit for a while before giving it its final revision prior to its final editing. But there is a problem that arises as well – or at least it does for me – and that is my brain has already moved onto other interests. What to…
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You can buy twitter followers? The dark side of modern publishing.
What? Call me naive and extremely behind the curve, but what? Is? That? I need to pause and think for a minute. Hmmm. You mean by this afternoon I could be followed by tens of thousands of twitter-heads? Okay. I’ve thought. Here’s my conclusion: if that’s what it takes to succeed in this world, then…
Author Mark W Sasse 