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May 14, 2014
Now that I’ve just finished telling you that your muse is a lie, let’s talk about my muse, shall we? No, I’m not backtracking on what I said before. Muses do not exist, and it’s vital to constantly remember that in order to avoid surrendering responsibility for your productivity. It is useful to define the environment in which you are best able to be creative though, and we humans are much better at responding to stories than lists of facts. So I’ll describe my “muse”...
March 13, 2014
For a long time I considered myself a realist. My parents were pragmatic people, and I took pride in being the same. While others were illogical, I aimed to be realistic. I focused on what mattered. Until one day, after a long journey, I realized the problem with realism. Do you want to know what a realist is, really? A realist is a cynic who doesn’t want to admit it. There’s a famous quote, of which I’m sure you’ve heard....
February 7, 2014
There was a time when I would hear about famous authors, people like Stephen King, and how they would go home after a full day of work, and they would write. I didn’t understand how they could do that. I couldn’t imagine it, couldn’t fathom how they could work more after their full-time jobs, how they were able to keep going if they never had a break Now, I’m that guy, and I enjoy it. Oh, how the times change, and...
January 29, 2014
“He’d fooled them all, even her. But the good bit was that he could go on doing it, he didn’t have to stop. All he had to do was remind himself, every few months, that he could quit anytime. Provided he knew he could, he’d never have to.” – Moist Von Lipwig, Going Postal I could quit writing right now if I wanted to. I could stop everything I’m doing, I could leave it all unfinished, and I could disappear....
January 8, 2014
“…because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff… Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’.” – John Green If you’re reading my blog, chances are you’re a nerd. I know I am. Hopefully you don’t hate this about yourself,...
January 5, 2014
I’ve been dragging my feet on editing/rewriting lately. Partially this was because of the holidays, and partially because this is my umpteenth draft, and I’d rather this book be done so I can move onto the next story. (I should probably get better at doing things right the first time, eh?) But those aren’t the only reasons. Right now, I don’t have to rush. No one will get on my case. Okay, so I’ll know, and some of my friends...
January 2, 2014
It’s interesting what writing can tell you about yourself, and what everything else you do can tell you about your writing. I have a tendency to explain myself too much. I’m not sure precisely why, but I imagine it comes from how I consider myself to be a pretty smart guy, and there’s nothing a smart person (with a healthy ego) wants more than for others to know how smart they are. After all, what’s the point in being so clever if...
December 11, 2013
The very first story I ever wrote was a Negima fanfic. I wrote it during an x-mas break many years ago, back when I still got holiday breaks. By the time I stopped, I had about 80 pages of unedited drivel, after which I scrapped the whole project and decided to write original material instead. I’ve never written another piece of fanfiction since. Here’s why. If you’re writing fanfiction, there’s a good chance you’ll get at least a few readers from...
November 27, 2013
I don’t usually get all touchy-feely, but when I do I like to do it in public. Because that sounds smart to me. Thanksgiving is an odd little holiday. I have long thought that Americans have subpar holidays, and Thanksgiving is a great example. Rather than a wondrous and life-affirming festival people come from all around the world to attend, we get a day to eat ourselves into a coma, watch football, and get annoyed by our families. Oh and...
October 10, 2013
I had another post in the works for you, but between my paying job, my other paying job, and writing nine introductory posts over at RandomC this past week, I couldn’t get the words to come out on time. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that being busy is creatively taxing, or that you shouldn’t try to force creativity, or maybe that I’m a giant masochist, I’m not sure. Whatever the case, I’ll be heading out shortly to attend the Great...