Lenten Writing Goal
1500 words a day. That’s my goal. Having suffered with Crohns disease for 24 years it has created numerous limitations in my life, both in diet and activity. So, whenever Lent rolls around, instead of removing a food from my Read more…
Prequels and Perma-Free
Free is a gateway. In the self-publishing world, giving away the first book in a series for free is one of the ways authors can get people to take a chance on their work. The phrase is called “perma-free,” meaning Read more…
When You Feel You Suck as a Writer
Every writer doubts their abilities. It’s the nature of the process. When working on a novel, invariably I will write something of which I am certain is effective that, upon further scrutiny, seems to suck. The reality is none of Read more…
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – An Epic Failure of Adaptation
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a perfect storm of predictability. If you decide to adapt a single novel into a movie trilogy, the middle story, the bridge, is the hardest one to pull off successfully. Having the middle Read more…
Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Adaptation Choices
“I have an image of Prim in a white room, strapped to a table, while masked, robed figures elicit those sounds from her. Somewhere they are torturing her, or did torture her, to get those sounds.” In my last podcast Read more…
Writing Space
Does where you write effect how you write? When I was starting out writing screenplays, I read an interview with Patrick Sheane Duncan, screenwriter of the film Courage Under Fire, who said that he taught himself to write anywhere with Read more…
How Video Games Can Make You a Better Writer
Video games can make you a better writer. I know what you’re thinking. I’m nuts. My wife would agree with you. She is fond of calling them “stupid little video games.” She’s also fond of calling anything that she thinks Read more…
It Only Took Sixty-Three Drafts to Learn How to Write
Writing can be a painful experience. I spent the majority of my life around, involved in and pursuing a life in film. I studied it, I performed in it, I wrote for it, I directed it and I loved it. Read more…
Writing
I’ve read a lot of blogs and posts and articles and advice columns about writing and a lot of them come down to one basic conclusion: Writers write because we don’t really have a choice. It’s not that someone is Read more…
Helpful Links for Writers
Want to start writing or publishing novels? There are a lot of great websites out there to help new writers learn from experts and for starting publishers to get a feel on the marketplace. Here are a few that I’ve Read more…
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