Are we about good with writing advice? Lemme be clear, I'm not talking about the gems handed down by bestselling authors and English professors (that's teachers of English, not people who say "Ello Guvna.") I'm talking about the many more thousands of articles written by novices, hobbyists, and self-pubbed shmohawks. (Note: not all self-pubbers are shmohawks.) … Continue reading I’m sick of (other people’s) writing advice

What's that, you ask? What did I do about those pesky flashbacks in my soon-to-be nowhere-near-ready-for-querying-agents historical adventure novel? To quote the great Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey in the movie A Time To Kill: "Yes, they deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell!" When writing the two rather lengthy … Continue reading Using the Sam Jackson technique on literary flashbacks

Whole lot of dos and don'ts regarding how writers should deal with literary magazines, agents, publishing houses. One of the biggies is not to go off on a Charlie Sheen rant every time you get a rejection slip. Last thing anyone—especially industry professionals—wants to see from a prospective writer is an ugly meltdown because your … Continue reading Literary magazine rejections, feedback, and wombat fatalities

I began revising my second novel (noose) today for the umpteenth (thirteenth???) time and it seems (noooooo!) to be going pretty alright (FML). (Update: The novel is finished and weighs-in at 107,000 words.) As a big boy, I haven't cried or threatened to quit writing forever, or run naked into the street waving a blunderbuss … Continue reading Killing my darlings softly with a blunderbuss

Why do white people like guacamole so much? Why do they call it "guac'?" What's the deal with hot glue guns? I came across a Buzzfeed post the other day entitled "40 questions that all white people need to answer." (original seen here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/40-questions-for-white-people ) Always the helpful type, I decided to answer them. After … Continue reading 40 Questions for White People ANSWERED