Me and Star Wars (No Spoilers)

  • December 28, 2015
  • Blog
  • 2 Comments

ID-100108031*

 

No, I haven’t seen the new Star Wars movie yet.

Yes, I’m going to!

So please, no spoilers. Thanks.

When I saw the first Star Wars film, I was sitting in the balcony with a huge tub of popcorn on my lap. When Han Solo came back, the entire theater erupted into cheers and everyone leapt to their feet, including me—who forgot about the tub of popcorn. The popcorn went up and showered everyone nearby and probably some people below. No one cared.

The Cost of Publishing a Novel

ID-10073138

*

Going Indie

 

Isn’t it free to post a book at, say, Amazon? Well, yes. But that’s the end of the process so let’s start at the beginning.

I’m not going to try and figure out how many reams of paper or toner ink I went through for my printer. Everyone expects that.

Let’s talk about the cost of professionally putting a book together for publication.

What is Urban Fantasy?

ID-100293862*

 

When I tell people that my forthcoming novel is urban fantasy, I often get blank looks and an honest “I don’t know what that is.” When I say, “It’s fantasy—you know, like science fiction/fantasy?” they nod, reassured that they now know what I’m writing. But when I try to explain further, it’s like wading through mud.

The Piano Lessons End…Or Do They?

ID-100197640*

I wrote about taking a piano class at a community college (see A Writer Learns Piano), and the class ended on Thursday. I learned how to move my fingers along the keyboard, something I couldn’t figure out before. A thrill crawled up my spine when I played a simplified (really simplified) version of Für Elise. Centuries of music stirred under my fingertips.

And the thing that really surprised me? That I enjoyed playing Für Elise. Aside from loving the Nutcracker Suite, I had no real desire to play classical music. My goal was to learn enough to play jazz/blues. I surprised myself.

What if I had hated it? Or been bored with it? Then that would have been another thing learned about myself. How would I know any of it if I hadn’t tried?

I’ve decided I’m not done. I’m looking into more lessons.

Find something that looks interesting. Go. Try.

 

 

 

* Image courtesy of amenic181 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

 

 

Do You Write in a Café?

ID-10027874

If you do, how do you do it? Seriously, I want to know.

I think it looks so cool to see people typing away on their laptops (alas, I seem to be the only one who uses pen and pad), but how do writers do that?

Do You Outline?

ID-10023307

 

I used to say I didn’t but realized I do. Just not the way people think.

I outline backwards.

Getting the Benefits of NaNoWriMo Without Doing It

IMGP8220

 

I know people who jump into November’s NaNoWriMo with enthusiasm and verve. (For those who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is an event where people pledge to write a novel—50k words—in the 30 days of November.) I know people who have successfully participated and I am in awe of their accomplishment.

Are You Boring and Have Nothing to Write About?

ID-100148479

 

I’ve heard this numerous times and I don’t understand it. Do people think they need to live the life of James Bond or sitcom characters?

Writing Monsters: Old vs. New

  • November 02, 2015
  • Blog
  • 2 Comments

There are pros and cons to writing about monsters everyone’s heard of. And there are pros and cons to creating new monsters. Let’s explore a few.

ID-100290698*

A Writer Learns Piano

ID-100197640*

 

I wrote about what to do when writers get into a rut (see Writing Rut? Stretch Yourself) and took my own advice. A beginners’ piano class had a spot open unexpectedly and I signed up. I attended one class, had to miss the second, and suffered agonies that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Class three was the other night and proved, like most fears, that all the nail biting was for nothing. Everything was fine. I hit wrong notes, pressed multiple keys instead of the intended one, and wondered if I’d ever get through “Ode to Joy.” Yes, that piece.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives
Recent Posts