Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Discipline or Obsession? - what really makes a writer finish a novel.

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=180

So I'm at that point in my novel where everything's starting to feel like drivel. The plot is transparent, the twists are painfully obvious, and everything about it feels so fake that you can't believe it ever felt original. And then the questions pop up: is this really okay? Do these two plot elem...

Three goals again, huh? 'Kay.... Goal 1: 40k for the month (darn you for saying to boost the numbers, lol. And darn me for having such a productive May.) Goal 2: Finish one of my two WIPs (I'm about 17k in on one and 35k in for the other, so we'll see how it goes.... Usually my books end up around 8...

The Writer's Mind - or how to have a split personality without even trying:

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=172

Alpha readers - the nail-biting phase of writing.

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=150

Now, see--I disappear for a month to spit-polish my book and look what I miss! I'm in. I'm in query letter hell right now, but I really need to get started writing the next book. Maybe this will be the goose I need. It certainly worked for the last one. :D Goals: 1. Get 35k of my WIP written (settin...

Awww, darn it. You guys had a Harry Dresden pow-wow in Vegas? *jealous* LOVE that series. I think what keeps me coming back to Butcher's books is that for the most part, there's always hope for one of the characters. Even if it's a teeny, tiny hope for happiness or peace. Probably not Harry, poor gu...

AbsoluteWrite actually has a really active YA group. Their QLH section (query letter...) also has a lot of YA authors who'll help critique. Your friend will need 50 posts on the site to put a query, synopsis, or a chunk of writing for critique, but you can get those pretty fast if you join in the co...

When Characters Surprise You:

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=144

New post that talks about the open door submission going on at Strange Chemistry, the YA sci-fi/fantasy imprint of Angry Robot.

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=133

I had them for 10 years. Ten. I got so worked up over it all that I had to step away and not come back until a decade later. The only reason I did come back was my daughter. I looked into her (then) 1 yr old face and realized I had to go for it. I wanted her to know you can chase your dreams, and th...

The importance of K.I.S.S. for queries.

http://www.amschilling.com/blog/?p=124

Gosh, why not simply perfect one's elevator pitch, and trot it out each time the question comes up? Personally? Because I'm a pantser that starts with a character rather than an event. If I'm in the middle of my first draft I usually don't KNOW what my book is about yet. I'm figuring it out as I go...

LOL. I get the same type of responses, Brenda. I do more urban fantasy than epic, but the reactions are the same. "Oh...." (awkaward pause and a couple of loooong blinks) "Is that like Twilight?" And yeah, that's NEVER a good thing in the speaker's mind. Nor do I write paranormal...

Does taking care of computers count, Mira? Yes, I am the Queen of the Geeks. AKA an IT Manager. I work in a cube. With beige carpet. And I have a badge thingy. Watch a rerun of "IT Crowd" on BBC America and you'll get my work life. Though in my defense, I'm NOT like the boss on that show. ...