Category Archives: Novels

Flash Writing Tips: What To Do When You’re Stuck

I’m going to put the flash in “Flash Writing Tips” and keep this one really brief.  But just because this is short, that doesn’t mean that it’s unimportant. This is one of those things that happens to all writers at … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Novels, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Flash Writing Tips: What To Do When You’re Stuck

Flash Writing Tip! Making Our Imagined Worlds Come Alive

Okay, birthday is done, but I’m still on the road.  Time for another Flash Writing Tip.  Today’s topic:  Worldbuilding! The object of worldbuilding for writers of speculative fiction is really no different from the goal of mainstream writers setting up … Continue reading

Posted in History, Novels, Reading, Setting, Short Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Flash Writing Tip! Making Our Imagined Worlds Come Alive

Flash Writing Tip! Dialogue Attribution Exercise

I’m about to be on the road for a while, taking my daughter on a college tour through the Southeast.  I’ll try to post regularly from the road, but I won’t have as much time for longer posts.  So, as … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Novels, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Flash Writing Tip! Dialogue Attribution Exercise

Writing Tips: Point of View and Voice, part III — Voice and Authenticity

A couple of days ago, in the second installment of my Writing Tips series on Point of View and Voice, I focused on how I decide how many characters to use as POV characters, and how I choose which characters … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Fantasy, History, Mystery, Novels, Reading, Thieftaker, Urban Fantasy, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing Tips: Point of View and Voice, part II — Choosing Your POV Character(s)

Last week, I wrote the first installment in this series of Writing Tips posts on point of view and voice.  As I indicated in that post, writers trying to determine how to approach point of view for their particular projects … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Mystery, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Thieftaker, Urban Fantasy, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Writing Tips: Point of View and Voice, part I — Overview

Today, I begin a series of posts on point of view and voice in storytelling.  This topic will take several posts, because it is arguably THE key element in storytelling.  We’ll kick off the discussion today with an overview of … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Fantasy, Mystery, Novels, Reading, Thieftaker, Urban Fantasy, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Writing on a Whim: The Project That Won’t Let Go

The other day, posting elsewhere, I commented on the fact that I was about to get back to writing after spending the first couple of months of this year working on short story revisions and a proposal for the next … Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Urban Fantasy, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Page on the Site

This is one of those things that makes an author slightly uncomfortable.  I’ve added a new page to the D.B. Jackson website.  It’s a page that includes all the nice things reviewers and advanced readers have said (and will say) … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Thieftaker | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on New Page on the Site

Writing Tips: Writing Is Hard

Sounds sort of weird, I know.  I mean, what kind of tip is “Writing is hard?” In all honesty, it might be the most important tip I ever post to this site. Let me start by saying that this is … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Friendship, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing Tips: Trusting Your Reader

Recently, while reading through a wonderful short story written by a Master’s student with whom I’m working, I found myself writing a comment in the page margin that rang all too familiar.  The student had just had one of her … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Novels, Reading, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing Tips: Trusting Your Reader