Tag: novel writing
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Writing Trip & Another Novel
This one’s been tough. I’ve been working on novel #14 for the past two years, and since moving back to America, I’ve admittedly not had enough writing time. (Or I haven’t been able to carve it out for some reason or another.) I’m one of those writers who need to hunker down, away from everything,…
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Updates from the Writing Sphere
In the works – theatre. I had a video call with Shion Beak, a South Korean composer – and my former student. She’s been hired to write new, original music for my Christmas show TALES OF WONDER coming up this December at the Scharmann Theatre. The centerpiece of her compositions is the title track TALES…
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It’s easy not to write.
I’m a writer. I’ve been doing this now for quite a while, and still it’s easy not to write. I suppose some of it comes from the different kind of writing schedule I have compared to other writers. Many have stated that it’s important to be disciplined daily and write, even if it’s just a…
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Why a Writer’s Brain
I was in class the other day. One of my students was reading one of my scripts out loud that his group will be performing in the coming weeks. At one point he stopped and looked over at me and asked, “How do you think of this? This is good. I never would have thought…
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Reading the Christmas Proof
I’ve been reading the printed proof of my new novel. It releases October 1. My first Christmas novel. A historical fiction account of a little girl trying to make sense of her father’s death in World War II. A proof read for me is a post-edit final-type of read. (Though it may be correctly stated…
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Novels 11 & 12 Releasing in 2022
It’s official. This will be the first year I’ve ever released two novels in one year. I’ve been remarkedly steady since I began publishing in 2012 – one novel a year. I believed the trend would continue. I finished my 11th novel on writing trip to Tbilisi back in late October. It’s the sequel of…
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A Storyline So Obvious that It Nearly Writes Itself
I abhor outlining when writing. I’ve seen the tutorials and how certain other professionals plan their stories, but that, to me, would feel like being forced to write state-sponsored propaganda under Stalin’s regime. Why would anyone want to lock themselves into a pre-conceived structure? I guess my brain just doesn’t work that way. I’ve said…
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When the Clouds Part: The Best Part of Writing
Someone said (probably a famous writer whom I can’t remember) that writing a novel is like driving in the fog with one headlight out. I like that analogy because that’s the way I write. I have no idea where I’m going. I don’t know the climax, the end game, the resolution, or who takes whom…
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The Apple Tree & Writing
The idea behind the following metaphor is not new. Other writers have expressed similar ideas. This is, however, how I envision a successful writing process. Here goes. Writing is an apple tree full of red, ripe apples. Every apple is an idea. From a distant observation, each fruit looks equally delicious. What a bumper crop!…
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Thank you, beta readers
It’s done. Novel #9 sent to my editor. More than any other novel I’ve written, the writing of this one has made me understand the true purpose of beta readers. Writers have blind spots. Or possibly soft spots. Maybe I get a little to sentimental at times and think a few chapters can get by…
Author Mark W Sasse 