Should I write faster?

Should I write faster?

Or: Should I subject my art to deconstruction? My debut novel took me ten years to research, write, and publish. Perhaps its production was like the return of Jesus–taking an awfully long time but appearing at the right moment.  I dunno. What slowed things down...
The Emotion Thesaurus

The Emotion Thesaurus

I’ve written and edited a few million words for Sons of Adamah. (100,000-word doc x 50ish drafts.) A person has to be a bit crazy to do that, no? My creative writing degree required short pieces, so the scale of a novel was daunting. But short pieces or long,...
Do yourself a favour: waste some time

Do yourself a favour: waste some time

As I lost all self-control in the hotel’s buffet room, this quote came to mind: “To win back my youth, Gerald, there is nothing I wouldn’t do–except take exercise, get up early, or be a useful member of society. (A Woman of No Importance. Oscar...
What your editor will and will not say

What your editor will and will not say

YOUR EDITOR WILL NOT SAY:  “Wow, I found nothing wrong with your manuscript. First time ever in the history of editing. Congratulations.”  “This book has changed my life. Here, let me pay you.”  “This is Pulitzer material for...
How to create your own NaNoWriMo

How to create your own NaNoWriMo

R.I.P. NaNoWriMo. I never did know you. Every November when you came around, I thought, “Write a novel in one month—are you crazy?” And now you’re gone. For those who don’t know, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, involved a grinding...