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Tag Archives: plotting
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
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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With the Slog, part II — The 60% Stall
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
Posted in Novels, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged 60 percent stall, blogging, creativity, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, how to write, narrative, novels, plotting, revisions, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing problems, writing tips
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Professional Wednesday: Punctuating Our Stories (Not the Way You Think I Mean It)
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” We all know the line. Even people who haven’t seen Casablanca know the line. (And please, don’t get me started about not seeing Casablanca. I mean, sure, it’s dated, … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Islevale Cycle, movies, Novels, Thieftaker, Writing
Tagged blogging, Casablanca, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, endings, Guy Gavriel Kay, how to write, Islevale Cycle, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, movies, narrative, plotting, Thieftaker Chronicles, Tigana, writing, writing advice, writing tips
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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Trust Yourself, Trust Your Reader
Today, I’m introducing a new feature for my Professional Wednesday posts: “Most Important Lessons.” We are coming up on the 28th anniversary of the start of my career (which I trace to the offer I received from Tor Books on … Continue reading
Posted in Novels, Reading, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, Children of Amarid, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, how to write, LonTobyn Chronicle, novels, plotting, reading, revisons, short fiction, Tor Books, Winds of the Forelands, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
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Professional Wednesday: Placing Your Inciting Moment In the Right Spot
Generally speaking, writers — from beginners to professionals — know what it means to have an inciting moment for our stories. The inciting moment is the occurrence that sets in motion all the events that constitute our narrative — Luke … Continue reading
Posted in movies, Novels, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, editing, how to write, inciting moment, narrative, novels, plot, plotting, Radiants, short fiction, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Plotting Or Not — Doing Away With a Dumb Debate
This is my forty-second Writing-Tip Wednesday post of the year, and somehow I have gotten through forty-one posts without addressing that age-old writing question, “Do I or do I not outline?” Or put another way, “Plotter or pantser?” First, a … Continue reading
Posted in Islevale Cycle, Novels, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, Islevale Cycle, narrative, organic writing, outlining, pantsing, plotting, Thieftaker Chronicles, Time's Assassin, Time's Children, Time's Demon, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
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Writing-Tip Wednesday: “Pitch Inside”
In the mid-1980s, my favorite baseball player on the planet was a young pitcher for the New York Mets named Dwight Gooden. Gooden had a meteoric career that was shortened by injuries and chronic drug abuse. But for the first … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Fantasy, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged baseball, blogging, Blood of the Southlands, Case Files of Justis Fearsson, challenges, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, Islevale Cycle, LonTobyn Chronicle, plotting, risks, Thieftaker Chronicles, Winds of the Forelands, world building, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing tips
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Writing-Tip Wednesday: Handling a Plot-Hole Crisis
So I did what all good writers do. I panicked, flew into histrionics, convinced myself that the sky was falling and all my work had been for nothing. That was fun and productive… We writers all know the feeling: We’re … Continue reading
Posted in Novels, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, outlining, plotting, writing, writing advice, writing life, writing problems
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Writing Tip Wednesday: Guest Author Tina LeCount Myers on Writing a Series
Today I welcome to the blog my dear friend, Tina LeCount Myers. Tina and I met at a World Fantasy Convention a few years back and immediately fell into an easy friendship. I have since read her work and discovered … Continue reading
Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Friendship, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, business of writing, character, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, Legacy of the Heavens, plotting, publishing, series, Tina LeCount Myers, worldbuilding, writing, writing advice, writing life
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Writing Tip Wednesday: The Nature of Conflict
When I was in grade school (yes, grade school) we were taught about the rudiments of writing – not just grammar, mind you, but also the fundamentals of storytelling. We weren’t necessarily taught these things well, but they were, at … Continue reading
Posted in Character, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life
Tagged blogging, character, conflict, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe, how to write, Joshua Palmatier, plotting, writing, writing advice, writing life, Zombies Need Brains
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