Friday Links: Checkov’s Fishing Rod
The gun on the mantle piece doesn’t have to go off, and doesn’t even have to be there, at least not in the final draft, but it’s good to have it there while writing. Read More
20
Aug
Category Archives: Writing
Writing related posts and advice.
13
Aug
Friday Links: Do Better Guns Improve Fighting Effectiveness?
So you’re marching along, together with all your Redcoat mates, and then, BOOM! you launch a huge volley against your Frenchie opponents. Which gets you on the order of 500 to 3 000 musket balls spent for every enemy killed.
But in comparison, using the same metrics, the war in Afghanistan had Coallition troops expending some 250 000 rounds for every enemy killed…
If you’re a military nerd, like me, you’ll love what Lloyd comes up with here. Read More
06
Aug
Friday Links: I wrote my first book at 75.
I wrote my first book at 75. At the age of 81 and 10 books later, I’m having the time of my life
The title says it all… Read More
30
Jul
Friday Links: Naming Conventions in Movies vs Real Life
There’s no way there are so many cops named John in the world…
Fascinating data animation looking at the names used in movies, compared to their popularity in the real world. Read More
02
Jul
25
Jun
Friday Links: The Life-Cycle of a Book (How to Make $$$ Writing)
You’re creating content that will sell for the rest of your life.
Not for a week, not for a month, not for a year, not even for a decade.
Your whole life, this stuff’s going to be selling, and you’ve got cycles when you can bring these series back so you’ll always be able to make money. Read More
18
Jun
Friday Links: Boredom and Magic
Hard magic systems or hard for magic systems?
An introduction to hard magic systems (in the Brandon Sanderson sense) in Fantasy, as told through pop culture and a rocking Gandalf. And pretty good information, too.
Featuring Avatar the Airbender. And such. Read More
11
Jun
Friday Links: The Eternal Show vs Tell-Debate
‘Telling the reader’ means giving the reader the conclusion they would draw, without giving them any of the actions or thoughts or descriptions that would lead them to that conclusion.
Yeah, Patricia C Wrede knows how it is. And should be writing writing books for a living. In addition to her fantasy, of course. But, failing that, we’ve got her blog to turn to. Read More
04
Jun
Friday Links: Confessions of a Clarkesworld Slush Reader
Why did my story get rejected?
This is a forum thread in the form of an AMA by an (ex-)Clarkesworld slush reader.
Lots of interesting analysis of short fiction markets in general and Clarkesworld in particular. Great if you’re submitting or planning to submit to the big mags.
Pay close attention to the “I slushed 2000 stories, passed up 150-300 to the editor, and none of those got published.” Read More
28
May
Friday Links: The Mystery of Storytelling
The greatest take on “beginning-middle-and-end” that I’ve ever seen. And the presenter’s funny.
Julian Friedmann at TEDxEaling, 18 minutes, well worth the time. Read More