Tag Archives: creativity

Professional Wednesday: Once More Unto The Breach — To Outline or Not, Redux

Posted on September 14, 2022 by dbjackson

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 →

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Professional Wednesday: What To Tell Aspiring Writers About The Current Literary Market

Posted on September 7, 2022 by dbjackson

If we have to write — and I’ve always felt that writing is an imperative, something I do to tame the voices in my head, the stories burning in my heart — then we should do it to satisfy that … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: One Hot-Mess of a Writing Post

Posted on June 29, 2022 by dbjackson

Dispensing writing advice when one is struggling a bit with one’s own work can be somewhat strange. Just ask . . . well, me. I am more than 50,000 words into my current work-in-progress, the third book in my Celtic … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Listening To My Own Work

Posted on June 15, 2022 by dbjackson

About seven years ago, I received out of the blue, an email from the actor Bronson Pinchot, who is probably best known for playing the role of “Balki” in the sitcom Perfect Strangers. He was, by then, enjoying a successful … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With the Slog, part II — The 60% Stall

Posted on June 8, 2022 by dbjackson

Many years back, while I was working on one of the middle books in my Winds of the Forelands quintet, my second series, I came downstairs after a particularly frustrating day of writing and started whining to Nancy about my … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Dealing With the Slog, part I

Posted on June 1, 2022 by dbjackson

Just keep swimming Just keep swimming Just keep swimming… Yes, I am a Pixar fan. Sue me. My kids were the perfect age for the magical first generation of Pixar movies — Toy Story (1 and 2); Monsters, Inc., Finding … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Tending To Our Work Space

Posted on May 18, 2022 by dbjackson

About a month ago, I wrote a Professional Wednesday post about how I was somewhat stuck creatively. I felt stagnant, unable to kick myself into motion when it came to writing new material. Then, about a week ago, I posted … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Giving Clueless Advice

Posted on May 16, 2022 by dbjackson

This past week, I spent a good deal of time going through old magazines and books in my office trying to clear out some of the clutter. (More on that in Wednesday’s post.) For years, I have subscribed to a … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Shutting Out the World

Posted on May 2, 2022 by dbjackson

I have struggled some in recent weeks to come up with topics for my Monday Musings posts. One reason for this: I don’t want to overload readers with essays about family issues and mental health, though both are much in … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: I’m Stuck

Posted on April 13, 2022 by dbjackson

My muse, on the other hand, is a peripatetic tramp who can’t be counted on to show up at any given time on any given day. If I had to wait for that bastard to show in order to write … Continue reading →

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