People watching. It's an unfortunate part of being a writer. Not too socially disruptive, but still weird. At least it makes me feel weird, what with my guilty conscience. Still, it's essential. As writers, we have to watch people, listen closely to how they speak, what they say. Not because we're stalkers, but because we need... Continue Reading →
Writer’s Workshop #3 – Crazy, Teddy Bear-Headlock Lady
I'd just sat down for coffee and a bagel when she walked in. A woman in her 20's, hair in a wiry bun at the top of her head, wearing a fuschia coat that was too baggy for her stick thin body. At first, I thought maybe she had a disability. If so, it would've... Continue Reading →
Let’s Make: A Fantasy Beast
Holy shit am I cheating right now. If there's one thing that all of my manuscripts have, but almost never actually benefit from, it's a list of beasts. "Beasts" in this case meaning "animals." Why not just call them animals? Cause Bloodborne ruined me. Whatever. My point is, all of my worlds come with long lists of... Continue Reading →
Monday, AM #2 – John Wick and Underworldbuilding
Welcome back to Monday. This is the part where I reflexively say, "It's good to be back!" but it isn't, cause it's Monday. I did actually get my days off this week, so I'll get to spend the beginning of it comfortably doing posts and writing . . . although I also really want to... Continue Reading →
Dream Diary #1 – A Red Rust Door
Ending the week with a weird one here. A kind of spiritual successor to my dream diary tweets from ages ago. Again, as it happens pretty often on this blog, writing about this just feels right. And, although I'm not sure why, I'm going all "right" on this one; I'm doing it up. I am... Continue Reading →
Let’s Talk About: Fantasy Side Character Names
So, last Friday, a friend wrote to commend me for my recent spree of posts. In particular, he mentioned last week's Let's Talk About, saying it actually helped him, because he was considering writing some fantasy but was afraid he'd unwittingly use a few genre tropes. So, with that in mind--and because I love writing about fantasy's pitfalls--I... Continue Reading →
Writer’s Workshop #2 – The Quintessential Cat
Hi there, and welcome back to the Writer's Workshop. For today's edition, I thought I'd depart from tasting things (my memory of roman nougat's Pink 12 flavor from last week is still too fresh in my mind). Instead, I'm going visual this week, focusing on reading emotions. Now, full disclosure, I'd been intending to go... Continue Reading →
Muse Tuesday – Some Kind of Bow | Rainwater Archaic
Hi there, and welcome to my first Muse Tuesday, a series of practice scenes from my WIP's, and my favorite canons, just for practice. Now, I know Workshop Wednesdays would technically be a better fit for these scenes, but I want a dedicated place to explore characters and dialogue, separate from Wednesday, where I focus on descriptions.... Continue Reading →
Monday, AM #1 – My Everyday Jam
Hey there, and welcome back to my site for this first in a new series, Monday, AM, or Monday, About Me. The name says it all, really; every Monday, I'll post updates about my writing progress, along with any news from my weekend, including (of course) too-detailed retellings of weird experiences I had. The idea: to have a post each week... Continue Reading →
Games for Writers: No Man’s Sky
Wow. It has been forever since I've written one of these. And, of all games, I picked No Man's Sky, hands down the least disappointing game of 2016. Why, I remember no one being upset about this one. . . . So, disclaimer first: I know. I know that No Man's Sky was a huge, flaming disappointment.... Continue Reading →
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