As soon as the iPad inspired a slurry of Android clones I’m sure more than a few writers thought, “Now I can write that novel or screenplay in bed, waiting at the doctor office, or yes, even while sitting on the toilet!” But wait! Not so fast. How does the state of the art stack
Why shower crayons work: Routine. It forces us to focus and make decisions, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. You don’t need hours, days, or weeks to make a decision. Most decisions can take place within a few seconds. Even the most creative thorny problems. You may not find the best
Novelists usually work by a process of drafting. They write straight through to a 1st draft. Then they change the things they don’t like in the 2nd draft, and iterate into a 3rd, etc. Drafting is a linear process. Plotting, also sometimes called ‘blocking,’ is used by script writers to establish economical scene flow.
Jul
31
Posted by : | On : July 31, 2007
Writer Unboxed is doing it, so I will too. They’re sharing one of their Google Notebooks for the world to see.
Mine isn’t directly related to writing or publishing, unless the fabric of reality qualifies as being on topic!
Here is my notebook on the many layers of networks that we find ourselves buried within, and how we might be able to navigate them to better ourselves and our lives.
Jul
23
Posted by : | On : July 23, 2007
I have returned from Minnesota. Time away from ordinary life always has a huge impact on me. This time was no different. After spending a week in Minnesota I’ve come to a single, absolute conclusion; Vacations are important. I know I’ve blogged about this kind of thing before, but I can’t state it enough.
We all need time away from our work and our lives. Without it, we will never gain any new perspectives. Distance from life and work mentally detaches you from it, lets your mind focus on and enjoy other things, and when you return to your life and work you will see opportunities that you did not see before.
To think if you hadn’t taken the break, you’d not have seen those opportunities to do and experience more in the same old life you were living before, or on the same story.
Jul
13
Posted by : | On : July 13, 2007
With titles like The Road nabbing the Pulitzer, World War Z being a popular title, and remake of The Omega Man, myself and others have been noticing that interest in post-apoc seems to be growing, at least from a creative standpoint.
Why has there been a recent surge?
According to Wil Wheaton over on Suicide Girls:
“…a lot of the same fears and geopolitical conflicts that dominated the post-WWII era when apocalyptic fiction really got started are alive and well today. We don’t have the Cold War, but we have terrorism, global warming, and a government that does everything it can to keep us in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. When we feel like this, one way we cope is by creating worlds where the worst of our fear have been realized, worlds where we can walk away if it gets too scary, and maybe it prepares us to deal with that world, should we create it for real.”
Smart guy. I think he’s right. The themes of my post-apoc universe are synthesized out of many of my personal fears, and looking at issues of the day and thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?” More importantly, “How would we deal with it?”
It’s the essential what-if of all good sci-fi, post-apoc, and dystopian stories.
Thanks to our buddies over at SF Signal for the heads up on that one.
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