Want to learn how to drive me up the wall? Insist that every time two characters make out, that the novel has a romance. Argh. Here in publishing, romance is a very specific genre that basically means the plot revolves around the characters being or falling in love with each other. There must be an… Continue reading Actually, People Can Screw Without Romance
Let’s kick off October with something scary–every author’s worst nightmare. It’s not that we’re afraid you won’t like what we like; disliking it is fine. What kills authors is if you don’t read our books at all. Think of a great recipe sampled only by one person, a sofa sat on by two or… Continue reading What Every Author Fears the Most
Everyone who has been around violence in an intimate way will tell you this: not everyone can kill. And so in my book What Boys Are Made Of, I decided to ask what would happen if you took someone who couldn’t, and made their first kill both deliberate and a complete accident. Cue chapter one,… Continue reading If You Give a Boy a Gun: The Psychology of Violence, Up Close
Among those who write, you get some who love starting new manuscripts, adore it beyond anything—the freshness of the prose, the chance to put new words down, the excitement of creating characters. And then there’s the other kind, who hates it beyond anything. I’m in the latter group. It’s never that I’m not looking forward… Continue reading If You’re a Writer, You’re a Gambler
You haven’t heard much about my writing lately. I’ve been concentrating on release stuff—and that makes sense, I’ve had another release! Buzz, buzz, look at my new book, I’m so thrilled to show it to you! Actually, truth be told, by the time you actually have that book, any book, I’m a little sick… Continue reading Not as Done As I Thought
Every book has a back-story, a where-did-it-come-from. Some are obscure, others a crystal clear moment. Some, on the other hand, come from a feeling. An exploration of uncertainty. I promised I’d tell all of you the back-story for why I wrote All Roads Lead to Hell. I’m a little hesitant to, because it’s weirdly personal.… Continue reading That Time My High School Made National News For All the Wrong Reasons: The Backstory of All Roads Lead to Hell
“More showing, less telling” is the battle cry of the the beta reader. But what does it actually mean? First of all, let’s start by saying that showing and telling are both okay techniques when used properly. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either. What’s wrong is using them exclusively. A book entirely told is boring.… Continue reading Show vs. Tell: The Definitive Run-Down
People in the apocalypse are always portrayed as savage, dirty, and on the brink of killing everyone else. This makes perfect sense. You see, they no longer have flush toilets. I don’t know how much time most of you have spent without this modern convenience. Growing up in southeast Ohio, I can’t say that a… Continue reading Toilets In the Apocalypse: A Short Guide
I know I’ve talked about tenses before. I’ve said lots about how much I love present tense, and why you should give it a chance. But today, I’m taking a different track. I’m talking about how past tense might actually be trying to kill me. This seems excessive, I know. “Past tense is a construct… Continue reading Me, Dying in Past Tense
In the world of blogs, memes fly around like measles, and lo but I’ve been bitten! Not that I mind, really. And so this Wednesday morning, we bring you, courtesy of Sarah Mitchell Jackson, the Sunshine Thingy! …with one caveat: I refuse to call it an award. It isn’t. It’s a meme. And the rules are… Continue reading The Sunshine Thingy (aka silly questions)
Under-Paid, Over-Enthused 