I’m reading a lot about writing these days.
Helps keep my mind off the Italian political situation.
But let’s not get into that.
I’m re-reading a number of books about fighting – because the sort of stories I write sometimes… heck, often feature a few rounds of fighting.
Bladed implements, usually, are involved.
And I’m not very good at writing fight scenes.
But I’m improving, and here’s my essential bookshelf of fighting references for writers. Continue reading
The second episode of AMARNA is about to hit the shelves, and I thought I’ll do a series of posts, over the next few weeks and months, as the other episodes come out, about the characters, the good guys and the bad guys and all those in between.
There’s a bit about them in the press book I created for the launch of the series, but as it usually happens, I am finding out more about my characters as I write about them.
That’s the way I work – a quick sketch, a photo reference, a list of details, and then I let the guys run away with the story.
And when it comes to running away with the story, nobody beats Valerie Cazaret. Continue reading
One day I will have to find someone good with brains – a neuro-shrink or something – and try and get a final answer to the great question:
How come that when I am overloaded with work, with my hands aching for too much typing and half a dozen deadlines looming closer… how come that then, and just then, I get an idea for a new story and I end up spending one whole afternoon outlining it and looking for resources?
Anyway, I’m in a mood for fantasy, and I’ve done just that – spent the best part of the day outlining an idea that might develop into a novella, and who knows what else. Continue reading
Yeah, I know, I know… I’ve been told years ago that writers write, they don’t talk about writing.
But you see, I spent some time yesterday discussing with a young author1 about two issues I never considered issues in the first place, when it comes to writing:
I was rather surprised by the responses of my counterpart, and in the end I think he was rather annoyed by my position, so I thought I may as well annoy you guys. Continue reading
I have to admit that it feels weird to read James Scott Bell’s How to Write Pulp Fiction back to back to Ursula K. Le Guin’s Steering the Craft.
And yet, I could easily say the two books complement each other – Le Guin’s a blueprint for a writers’ workshop (even a solo writer’s workshop, if so the reader wishes), while How to Write Pulp Fiction, that’s full of suggestions and straightforward advice, appears to be more of a guide to a mindset.
Both books are excellent, and having written a post about Le Guin’s, let me now praise James Scott Ball’s handbook. Continue reading
I’m doing fifteen things at the same time as usual – it helps that the flu left me cranky and jet-lagged: I live by night and sleep through most of the morning, and night is fine for writing and reading, the hours seem to last longer.
Among the things I’m working on, there’s the online course in worldbuilding that will start later this month. I’m making plans, pulling resources and treasuring what I’m learning with the online course in self-publishing I’m teaching right now.
And I’m re-reading a few books to steal ideas and to compile a viable bibliography. I’m re-reading everything, from The Kobold’s Guide to World Building to Jeff VanDerMeer’s Wonderbook.
Right now, I’m going through Ursula K. Le Guin’s Steering the Craft . Considering we just lost the author, it felt like the right way to celebrate her and remember her work.
I first read Steering the Craft in the year 2000, the first edition. A lost girlfriend kept it, and as part of my recent book haul, I added a copy of the new updated and revised edition – I filed it as an investment for my future courses. Continue reading
Karavansara 