Defying the Reader’s Expectations
Imagine this: you pick up a story and begin reading only to discover that the story seems to be about you. The main character has your name. He repeats all of your favorite phrases. His friends are all people that you know, and the story seems to be drawn from your life. In fact, as […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 8: Making Connections
While my early novels were all bestsellers on the science fiction lists, hitting the New York Times bestseller list was another matter entirely. With each novel that you write, you’ll find that you make new business and personal connections with people. You need to be prepared for that. For example, when my first novel came […]
How to End a Novel Well
Today, I want to talk about the ending of your novel or short story. Most new writers don’t have a problem ending their story. After all, if you’re working on a large novel and you’ve spent a year or two of your life working toward the ending, the chances are excellent that you’ve had a long […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 7: The Lifesaver
I knew that the second book in my Serpent Catch series was doomed. There were three indicators. The first was that my publisher had been bought out by a conglomerate that wanted to ditch all of the science fiction and fantasy authors—literally dozens of them. The second came when my editor asked that I change […]
Provide Your Own Inspiration
Once in a panel, I was asked, “Who inspired you to become a writer.” I’ve been asked that question many times before, so I knew the answer, but before I could speak up, I had a realization: More than anyone else, I inspired myself. Let me explain. Certainly there were a number of authors that I […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 6: Round Two
I felt gratified that my first novel was well received, but I discovered that no matter how well you think things through with a novel, you’re apt to make mistakes.For example, I knew that I wanted to write fantasy, but my publisher thought I was doing so well in science fiction, that they wanted only […]
Writers of the Future Contest and Anthology
UPDATE AUGUST 2020: The anthology is still doing very well, here is the latest from this year: L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36: Anthology of Award-Winning Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories You can also find more about the contest at Writersofthefuture.com ORIGINAL POST: As many of you know, I’m […]
Character Traits
As we read stories, we are constantly making judgments. We may admire an author’s style, even as we are annoyed by a plot twist that we saw coming; or we might get creeped-out by the foreshadowing, while we’re annoyed by the author’s cynical tone. It seems to me that one thing that we are most […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 5: Taking the Challenge
When I got my first writing contract from Bantam Books, I had two problems. One was my health. I was still fighting off my chronic fatigue syndrome. The second problem was that I had never written a complete novel. Sure, I’d written a dozen short stories and I’d started four novels, but I’d never figured out how […]
A Writer’s Guide to Stalking Opportunity
My arm shook over the mouse button in apprehension. A single shot, a single click, was all I had to turn this hard-sought opportunity into success. What if I wasn’t ready? Had I studied enough? What if I’d played it safe? Was I unoriginal? Hell, anything but that! Amazing opportunities don’t knock on our doors. […]