Nathan Bransford - The Forums

(And having a reputation for being none too bright, especially when your older sister has an almost-genius level intelligence, sure did take a lot of pressure off me to overachieve.) I too was the underachiever in my family! My little brother got a college education and a family and a successful bu...

I have a critique group that sees my writing every month. What I show them has been rewritten probably once or twice. No one else will ever see it until I send it to an editor. I'll give my wife and close friends a copy once it's published. None of them would be able to appreciate a work that wasn't...

In addition to the novel I'm currently working on, I'm helping my mom write a book about her marriage. I've been splitting time between them but my love for my mother sometimes causes me to give her too much time. If it weren't for my critique group, I wouldn't have made it this far with my novel. I...

Sommer, that sounds like a wonderful childhood. At first, I imagined that a lot of modern writers were like you -- performers at heart. I see so many writers hustling, selling, promoting like musicians that I figured the day of the lonesome writer was done. But after reading some of these other post...

I was reflecting on my life today and it occurred to me that I began writing out of loneliness. I felt so different from everyone around me. No one seemed to understand what I was talking about. So I wrote my thoughts down, which developed into poetry, stories, songs, etc. I was maybe 9 or 10 years ...

Love the site! Pretty.

I've never heard of NewAdult. When you publish to Kindle can't you pick more than one category? If not, I wouldn't want to limit myself with an unheard-of genre.

The April issue of Writer's Digest has an interview with Robert Kirkman, originator of "The Walking Dead." He describes his early writing years as "years of hell" -- the period of life when he was self-publishing his work and feeling like a zombie. "Sometimes I would work un...

That was funny. I tried reading his The Intuitionist and couldn't get into it.

I too begin a lot of dialogue with "well," when I'm not paying attention. Also, if I don't pay attention I'll slip into serious alliteration and rhyming. I never get "lie" and "lay" right.

I'm considering making the protag of my next novel a Jamaican woman. My wife is Jamaican and uses some of the most colorful phrases I've ever heard. I don't intend to change any spellings. The word usage alone will convey the flavor.

I'm reading "Salvage the Bones" the National Book Award winner from 2011. Does anyone else make it a point to read the award winners?

The story may work best if the gluttony is not over-emphasized. It can become a touchstone that reminds the reader of her internal struggles regarding this bad past event. When she ceases to indulge in the food, it will demonstrate that she has overcome the other struggles. That can be inspiring and...

I read that Jack Daniels the other day. If I were a drinker, I'd definitely be drawn to their brand after seeing this.

sldwyer wrote:When you've gotten such good response to your writing try to remember which part of the writing they exclaimed most on. Reread that portion and see how it differs from the rest of your writing. Take that as an example of how to write forward.
What do you write?

I write fantasy.