So … summertime. I love it. As a kid, I spent summers reading. As in nonstop, around the clock reading–one wonderful summer I counted reading 125 books in two weeks. These days, I still feel like I should spend most of my summer catching up on my reading list. But I don’t dig into the […]
Archive > July 2012
Why Write Short Stories?
At the 2011 World Horror Convention, I went to a panel called Why We Write Short Stories. When people used to talk about being a short form or long form writer, I had no idea where I fell into those categories or if I had a preference or the skills for one or the other. […]
Trying to make the jump
Today Robert Jackson Bennett returns to Inkpunks with another great post, this time about taking chances with your characters. Enjoy! Most of my writing decisions – or the big ones, at least – are more or less the equivalent of someone standing at the top of a tall gap, and saying, “I bet I can […]
It’s Not a Race
Chris East is a writer, editor, reviewer, bassist, and general media junkie, who grew up in western New York and gradually migrated west to Los Angeles. He has a special studies writing degree from New York University, SUNY at Fredonia, and Michigan State University and attended the Clarion and Taos Toolbox writing workshops. His fiction […]
What’s in a great first line?
Recently I made a bet with a friend over the outcome of Euro 2012 (why? I don’t know thing about soccer, or football, if you prefer). Shockingly, I lost, and as payment, I’m required to read a book of his choosing. Assignment: Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I’ve never read a graphic novel […]
Wendy’s Novel Outlining Omnibus
Little by little, I am teaching myself how to outline. By nature, I’m an “inchwormer” when I write (thanks to John Klima and Bradley Beaulieu for that great term!), writing a bit at a time, thinking about the developments implied by what I’ve just written and then forging ahead, clinging only to a loose scaffolding […]
Storytelling with Ian McCaig: wants, needs, and burning bridges
About 8 years ago I started writing my epic fantasy novel. (As one does.) I loved writing character sketches, scene ideas, doing research. But when it came to stringing it all together into, you know, an actual STORY, well that proved to be a bit tricky. So I just kept creating character sketches, scene ideas, […]
On Gatekeepers and Making Our Own Rules
My SF-writing dreams are as traditional as they can get. I want to make a living by selling my fiction to publishers. I long to see my name nestled with other SF-award nominees, on the cover of Asimov’s, on the New York Times Bestseller list, and on the shelf of the local bookstore. The […]
Masters of the Controverse: Why Authors Should Speak Their Minds
Today’s post comes from frequent guest and friend of the Inkpunks, James Sutter. Enjoy! A while back, I was having a conversation with a well-known game designer friend of mine. He was bemoaning the fact that he has to constantly hold himself back from expressing his true views online, making sure to keep his public […]