Tag Archive: Writing

The Unexpected Death Scene

December 2, 2009 1 Comment

So I’m writing last night, plugging away at my work in progress. Working on this major action sequence, a series of four or five brief chapters that (hopefully) string together like a Spielberg setpiece. Think the truck scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Minority Report and you have the idea. And right in the middle of it, this character … he died. I didn’t expect him to die. Hadn’t included it in my outline. Hadn’t plotted for it. But he’s there and this situation arises and I realized as I was writing, “He’s not going to make it, is he?” And he died. I don’t regret the unexpected death. Turned out to be the ideal resolution to his story arc. The exact place…
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Writing

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Book royalties, advances, and empty wallets

November 20, 2009 0 Comments

In a previous blog post I pointed out that authors do not make a lot of money. And that’s true. They don’t. The reality is that you DON’T simply write a book and watch the money start coming in. Not unless you hit a one-in-a-million publisher feeding frenzy for your book or accidentally write the next Harry Potter. Instead, you write a book that will eventually provide you with a modest amount of money — and “modest” may very well mean, “enough to finally get that tune-up you’ve been putting off” — then you do another, and another, and another, because if you don’t you’ll have to get a day job. Which is something most authors have, anyway. Literary agent Rachelle Gardner recently did a…
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Writing

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A truly shameless blog post

November 13, 2009 0 Comments

A Year of Hitchcock

I’ll never claim to not be shameless when I need to be. So I will now be shameless. Behold! My book, co-authored with Jim McDevitt, was released in April. If you have yet to get a copy, do take a look. If you have yet to tell a friend about it, please do so. If you have a film lover in your family or circle of friends, please consider it as a Christmas present. You can get it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine retailers. Your support is appreciated. While you’re at it, please look at our podcast of the same name. If you have not subscribed (it’s free), please do so. If you have not told your friends about it, please do…
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Alfred Hitchcock, Films, Works by Eric

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When your own stories surprise you

November 4, 2009 0 Comments

I’ve already mentioned that I’m working on a dystopian science fiction novel. It will be, I hope, Philip K. Dick meets George Orwell thrust into a Stephen Spielberg film. That’s the aim, at least. I’ve had some rough nights where the words just don’t want to come (and those that do are crap), and other nights when things click and I’m at the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen to our protagonists. Wait, shouldn’t I know what’s going to happen to my characters? Well, yes and no. I’m writing with an outline, but it’s pretty loose. It’s a series of milestones the characters and/or plot must reach (though even those milestones can change in the course of the writing). A general roadmap…
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Writing

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Churning out that first draft

November 3, 2009 0 Comments

Shortly after posting yesterday about National Novel Writing Month, I came across an excellent blog post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner. This is great advice that I wanted to share with those taking part in NaNoWriMo — or anyone working on a big writing project, really. Now is NOT the time to self-edit or worry about all those writing tips you’ve been taught. Just write. Let the words flow. If you’ve been studying the craft, you’ll naturally be inclined to show more than tell, write snappy dialogue, and be aware of how much backstory you’re allowing in. That’s great. But don’t let yourself get caught up in those details. Keep the forward momentum going. Your best writing will happen in the revision process. I couldn’t…
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Writing

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