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Seriously. When I was in my early twenties and just getting started out trying to write a “real” novel – as opposed to the rather short porn novels I’d been writing – I found I had no idea what it felt like to write a full-length novel. Forget the awful challenge of a blank page. This was [...] … once I’ve walked it. That’s perhaps the single most important truth I know about my writing. Because of my perfectionist tendencies it’s been the hardest one for me to learn to live by. Learning to do so is probably the most important way I need to overcome my perfectionism. I was reminded of this today. I’m well [...] Introducing a new feature to help fiction writers learn about firearms. First installment: why bother getting guns right? And letting Leo: confessions of a slovenly perfectionist. You might as well know it, if you don’t already: there’s tension between the writer’s need to connect with his or her fans – through, say, oh, I don’t know, blogs? – and the writer’s need to make money. You can clearly see which end of the dilemma I’ve been coming out on lately. The problem is, [...] Why I hate travelogues in fiction I’ve started to read my writing aloud as I rewrite it. It’s one of those things I don’t know why I’ve not been doing all along. Both perceptive audience members at my readings and the amazing Critical Mass writers group advised me to try it. It helps. As I think I’ve mentioned (although I can’t find [...] As I’ve said before, my biggest barrier to achieving my dream – which is to write as many of the stories inside me as vividly and well as I can before I die, and entertain and delight you and the world – is the compulsion to get it right the first time. No doubt for some [...] The farther I get along in a draft of the book, I see, the smoother it all becomes. Fewer false starts, smoother flow, even fewer typos. At first when I’m writing a tale, I’m hunting: for voice, theme, character, even the real story. No matter how firmly I feel I have it in my mind, I [...] One of the key writing skills I’ve learned in the last year or so is how to incorporate scenes I’ve already written as I write. Yes, I’ve been a professional writer, almost exclusively full-time, for thirty-five years now. And I’m still learning important new skills. I have not served my craft well all the time, nor [...] |
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