Tag: novel writing
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Ideas for Indie Authors: A Novel is Chasing Me. I’m Losing. (and Winning)
When good ideas impregnate the mind, why fight them? Over the past three weeks, I’ve had a novel idea, actually related to novel-writing, and I haven’t been able to shake it. Even in the midst of revising novel #5, which was supposed to be my priority, this new idea has consumed me every free moment…
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A Look Ahead: Writing Projects for 2016
I have an exciting slate of writing projects on tap for 2016. Let me list them out in no particular order. 5th Novel – Which Half David – Currently in revision. I’m hoping to push this along for a May or June release. Play – I’m co-writing a yet-to-be-titled play with four of my students. Need to…
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Break Writing
I have three weeks of Christmas break on a tropical island. You might think it’s a paradise for writers. Well, not to rub it in, but it is. My breaks away from teaching have fueled my writing habits for years, and this one is no exception. As I type, I’m sitting shirtless on a lounge…
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Thoughts on Novel 5: First Draft Complete
Just today I put the finishing touches on the first draft of my 5th novel. Of course “finishing” and “first draft” don’t really go together very well. They are opposites in every way, but even though the draft is far from finished, there is something to be celebrated about the completion of any novel. I…
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A Writer’s Retreat
This is a treat of a retreat. Back in August, I won a two-nights stay at a hotel in Georgetown from winning a couple awards at the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival. Now as I have a week off of work, I’m taking these days and turning it into a writer’s retreat. Here’s some views…
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Writing: The Difference between being Finished and being Done
I don’t know how other people write. That makes sense. I’m not other people. But I do wonder sometimes the various methodologies (or lack thereof in my case) applied to craft. I was particularly thinking about first drafts recently, and I realize that I am a “run and gun” offense on my first draft. I…
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Finally, Back to Novel Writing
I checked. The last time I had written on my fifth novel was March 29, 2015 – more than four months ago. That would seem terrible for a writer but not necessarily. It’s not like I feel off the writing grid and threw in the towel, far from it. Here’s what I’ve been doing since…
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Writers: Do you have multiple projects on your plate at one time? You should!
I’m one of those people with a messy desk. I clean it a couple times a year to make it clean and pristine, but within a matter of days, it’s back to messy. It’s just the way my brain works. (For reference, I was just cleaning out my in-box and it had over 900 emails.)…
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About that artwork…
In a recent Facebook ad I created, concerning my new novel on Kindle Scout, I pulled out this old picture. This awesome drawing is the creation of Woon Bin Chang, an artist who saw a production of my play, “Almighty Might” in 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. Woon-Bin was so moved by the piece that…
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Are second halves of novels better?
As I finish up my due diligence with my fourth and soon (with 3 months) to be released novel, I came across a strange realization: the writing in the second half of my novel is better. I’m doing a final, thorough read-through and I noticed a strange difference in attitude between my perception of each…