Tag Archives: world building

Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Posted on May 10, 2023 by dbjackson

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected

Posted on September 28, 2022 by dbjackson

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected

Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)

Posted on September 21, 2022 by dbjackson

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)

Professional Wednesday: Why Fantasy, Why Magic?

Posted on March 30, 2022 by dbjackson

My oldest brother, Bill, who we lost several years ago, was an avid reader. He loved books of all sorts. Every year, he made a list of the National Book Award nominees — finalists and books on the long list … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Why Fantasy, Why Magic?

Professional Wednesday: “Write What You Know,” part III — Know What You Write

Posted on January 19, 2022 by dbjackson

For the last couple of weeks, I have written my Professional Wednesday essays about the old writing adage, “write what you know.” In my first post on the topic, I wrote about tapping into emotions and our reactions to experiences … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Islevale Cycle, Publishing, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: “Write What You Know,” part III — Know What You Write

Professional Wednesday: “Write What You Know,” part II

Posted on January 12, 2022 by dbjackson

Put another way, I was driven . . . not merely by the fact that I “know” these things, but rather by the fascination and passion that drove me to learn about them in the first place. With last week’s … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Novels, Publishing, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: “Write What You Know,” part II

Creative Wednesday: Communicating Our World Building To Our Readers

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dbjackson

Tomorrow night, I will be giving a talk on world building here at the university, in a themed residential house devoted to writing. The students from the house, at least those I’ve met so far, are earnest and passionate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, History, Novels, Setting, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Creative Wednesday: Communicating Our World Building To Our Readers

Professional Wednesday: The Two World-Builds

Posted on March 10, 2021 by dbjackson

They don’t care that the twelfth king of Hamsterdom was Belchamiethius IV, known to his subjects as “Conquerer of the Exercise Wheel.” They don’t need to know the names of each mountain peak in the Twelve Dunce Cap Range. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethan Kaille, History, Novels, Reading, Research, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: The Two World-Builds

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ten Books You Should Read

Posted on December 23, 2020 by dbjackson

Early in the year — even before the pandemic hit — I wrote a post in which I basically said that all writers should read. There are certain “rules” about the profession that are actually negotiable — writers don’t really … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, History, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Setting, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ten Books You Should Read

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Holidays As Part of World Building

Posted on December 9, 2020 by dbjackson

I have written about the holidays a good deal in the past few weeks, but I have yet to address holidays as a topic in a Writing-Tip Wednesday post. Now, you’re first response to this might be, “Well, why would … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Fun, History, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Setting, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Holidays As Part of World Building