I’ve started a lot more books and stories than I’ve finished, and this is a problem. Why? Surely, when a concept or story isn’t working, you should stop while you’re ahead, right? Well…. Chuck Wendig had a post up today about all the reasons you should finish your work, but really, I can distill it down to […]
Why I Finish All My Shit Read More »
So this summer I was approached by a couple of folks asking about archiving my papers. This was, as you’d imagine (especially those of you who’ve been reading this blog for ten years) a rather surreal experience for me. The first time I thought it was a fluke. The second time, I was genuinely confused.
THE HURLEY ARCHIVES: Archiving Papers at NIU Read More »
I’m writing about a book a year right now. With a day job and freelancing work on top of my novel writing, that’s about all I can manage. Next year’s schedule has me writing at least one book in just eight months, which a lot of folks who write four or more books a year
The Words Don’t All Have to be Right: Writing and Rewriting Read More »
I read a really spectacular Advance Reader Copy yesterday of a book called THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT (out Sept, 2015. I’ll talk more about it then). I was hooked from the first page and cried through the first 40 pages. It’s a tragedy in the traditional sense, like Madame Bovary or Macbeth (or Mass Effect
I Love Writing Books. So I Need to Get Better at Writing Them Read More »
I was listening to the SF Squeecast yesterday when the topic of the “kinder, gentler” days of the internet came up. I’m part of a generation of writers and bloggers who came of age in the early days of blogging, when everything was fresh and new and you clicked the “next” button on Blogger to
When Trolls Attack: Hunting the “Kinder, Gentler” Internet Unicorn Read More »
When many fiction writers hear I write marketing and advertising copy for a living, they’ll inevitably ask, “Isn’t it hard to write corporate copy all day and fiction all night? Aren’t you burned out by the time you get home?” Folks generally tell me the story of a web designer or illustrator who’s so burned
How Being a Corporate Copywriter Made Me a Better Novelist Read More »
When I was 18 I was living in a shitty apartment, far from home, with an emotionally abusive boyfriend. I felt totally powerless in my own life. I contemplated suicide often. I would learn, later, that taking birth control pills had caused a debilitating state of depression, one I simply could not shake, no matter
On Becoming What You Hate, Redux Read More »
I’ve been asked a few times recently – certainly more than I was asked with God’s War , Infidel and Rapture – to address specific responses to THE MIRROR EMPIRE. We all like a good author meltdown, I suppose. I think what some folks don’t realize is 1) this ain’t my first rodeo, and I’m very good
On Responding to Reviews Read More »
I’m supposed to be hip-deep in writing content for other spaces right now, but I wanted to say a little bit about the role of editors in this whole push we’re seeing for more diverse books, especially after that wild Hugo weekend. I will likely have a little more to say about that later, too.
Writing, Editing, Inclusivity: We’re All in This Together Read More »
For reasons various and sundry, I have a lawyer I consult with on Intellectual Property matters. Anyone who knows my publishing history can probably figure out why. I got an invoice yesterday for $72, a charge for the time it took them to read and respond to an email of mine about a particular matter.
Valuing the Work: Writers and Chasing Our Way to the Bottom Read More »