Links
Subscribe to D.B.'s Blog
-
Recent Posts
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- August 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- June 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- October 2018
- September 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- December 2017
- September 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- September 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- February 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
Categories
- "The Tavern Fire"
- A Plunder of Souls
- Angry Robot Books
- Appearances
- Bell Bridge Books
- Belle Books
- Boston
- Business of publishing
- Character
- City of Shades
- cooking
- Covid
- Dead Man's Reach
- Ethan Kaille
- Falstaff Books
- Family
- Fantasy
- food
- Friendship
- Fun
- History
- Invasives
- Islevale Cycle
- kids
- movies
- Music
- Mystery
- nature
- Novels
- parenting
- photography
- Politics
- Publicity
- Publishing
- Radiants
- Reading
- Research
- Setting
- Short Fiction
- Sports
- technology
- The Chalice War
- The Chalice Wars
- Thieftaker
- Thieves' Quarry
- Time's Assassin
- Time's Children
- Time's Demon
- travel
- Uncategorized
- Urban Fantasy
- Writing
- Writing Life
Meta
Tag Archives: character
Monday Musings: It ALWAYS Feels Good To Finish a Book
I could have ended this post at the title. That really is the point. I have been writing fiction for close to thirty years. I have finished more than thirty novels and as many pieces of short fiction, and yes, … Continue reading
Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Family, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, business of writing, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, emotional issues, family, life issues, movies, novelisations, publishing, publishing business, writing, writing life
Comments Off on Monday Musings: It ALWAYS Feels Good To Finish a Book
Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part III — The 60% Wall
Today, I add to my series of posts about “Beginnings, Middles, and Endings,” with a continued focus on the vast middle of the novel. If you wish to go back and read my first two essays in this feature on … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Novels, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, character development, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, narrative, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part III — The 60% Wall
Monday Musings: What We’re Watching These Days
Today’s post is a bit late, for which I apologize. It also offers a break from some of the more weighty topics I’ve covered in my Monday posts. I sometimes feel that I get too serious with my essays week … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Family, Fun, movies
Tagged acting, Andor, blogging, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, Derry Girls, Lockwood and Co., Netflix, plotting, reviews, streaming, television, The Diplomat, The Last Kingdom, The Night Agent
Comments Off on Monday Musings: What We’re Watching These Days
Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.
Trust your reader. This is editor speak for “trust yourself.” It is something I say often to many of the writers I edit. But what does it mean? I have had my own lesson in “trust your reader” in recent … Continue reading
Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Fantasy, Novels, Setting, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, how to write, narrative, plotting, publishing, revising, Rules of Ascension, setting, Tor Books, Winds of the Forelands, world building, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.
Professional Wednesday: When To Fight an Edit, and When To Let it Go
I know my knee-jerk response is not always my wisest response. All of us who have gone through the editorial process are familiar with the conundrum: We want to work with our editors. We want to cultivate reputations for being … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Novels, Reading, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, editor-writer relationship, editorial process, editors, how to write, plotting, publishing, revision process, revisions, wording, working with editors, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: When To Fight an Edit, and When To Let it Go
Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, Part I
A new month, a new blog series. Not that I’m committing to doing a series every month. Really, I’m not . . . . [Sigh] What have I done . . . ? Over the course of my career, which … Continue reading
Posted in Appearances, Business of publishing, Character, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, business of publishing, character, character development, conventions, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, LonTobyn Chronicle, mistakes, publishing business, Tor Books, writing, writing business, writing life
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, Part I
Professional Wednesday: “Hidden Brain,” Perception, and Fiction
On a recent drive I began listening to the Hidden Brain podcast, with the brilliant Shankar Vedantam. I had listened to scattered episodes before, but never in a systematic way. But this was a long drive and I wound up … Continue reading
Posted in Novels, Reading, Research, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, dialogue, emotion, Hidden Brain, narrative, point of view, psychology, reading, science, Shankar Vedantam, Tessa West, writing, writing life
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: “Hidden Brain,” Perception, and Fiction
Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected
One more post about my teaching weekend at the Hampton Roads Writers Conference . . . . As I believe I mentioned last week, I taught four classes at the event. The topics were: point of view, character development, world … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Fantasy, Writing
Tagged blogging, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, Hampton Roads Writers Conference, how to write, narrative, plotting, teaching, Vernor Vinge, Vernor's Rule, world building, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected
Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)
This week I head to the Hampton Roads Writers Conference in Virginia Beach. I’ll be teaching several workshops over the three days I’m there — a two-hour master class on “Point of View and Voice,” a ninety-minute class on “Character … Continue reading
Posted in Appearances, Character, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, business of publishing, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, Edmund R. Schubert, Hampton Roads Writers Conference, how to write, John Hartness, narrative arc, pacing, point of view, publishing, teaching, world building, writing, writing business, writing conferences, writing workshops
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)
Professional Wednesday: Once More Unto The Breach — To Outline or Not, Redux
After attending DragonCon and speaking on panels about various aspects of writing, I have found myself thinking—yet again—about the age-old debate between those who outline their books and those who don’t. Or, between planners and pantsers, in the parlance of … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Time's Assassin, Time's Children, Time's Demon, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, creative process, creativity, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, DragonCon, Islevale Cycle, organic writing, outlining, pantsing, Time's Assassin, Time's Children, Time's Demon, writing
Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Once More Unto The Breach — To Outline or Not, Redux