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Okay. So. “Serialization” is the name of the tv/site show these days. It motivates people who start in the middle to “go back and catch up from the beginning.” It gives a closed loop of development so that, if a season doesn’t do so hot, it can wrap up without too much dithering. But it also tends to be, eh, kinda narrow compared to plug-and-play network shows of the 70’s through 90’s, where…

Okay, I could have written this last week, but here we are. I’m picking up piano tuning. I have my first hammer and ribbons and mute wedges, and I actually tuned two octaves of strings on Saturday. I find it as soothing as editing, and for the same reason. (pours a coffee) It’s about the little tweaks. And it’s about patience with those tweaks. The tuning hammer is made very precisely, but…

(sips coffee) It’s that third set that gets me. That has, in fact, gotten me pretty badly. And I’m fessing up to it. But that’s why I follow my old friend’s maxim: “Zero excuses. Infinite restarts.” (sips coffee) Although, I must add a caveat: “If you’re willing to excuse not doing it over and over, consider whether you really want to do it at all.” And that one haunts me, especially as I…

I have no clue what happened. I think it was the new job. Plus some church stressors, trying to finish a game that I started in winter so it wasn’t going to bug me, then a bit of a doom spiral, and lots of dishes, and other projects in the background… So my next novel is not going to be out by the end of the month. I’m back to editing it, finally, and I’m making headway, but I don’t have the…

(gets email that my podcast finally passed 1000 downloads) (realizes I haven’t done anything with that podcast in over 2 years) (realizes I could do more with that podcast) Uh, well, that’s something I think I could do something about… Uh, check back later for more info. In the meantime, look for the Idea Engine podcast, uh, I think on most platforms. I use Buzzsprout for the main…

I have a sign that I put up when I’m writing. It tells people I’m writing. Which, somehow, they can’t see when I’m writing. And they try to talk to me. When I’m writing. The sign helps. Cheers.

I’m just going to leave this here. It’s a great reference for making eerie settings to write in. You might have to zoom in to read it. But it’s a great bit on what makes creepy spaces… creepy…

(pours a scotch and soda) Yes, Teacher, I’m getting back to it. Cheers…

“See, boy,” Roggers said as he wiped the blood from his whiskers, “you blighters think there’s one kind of fear in the world. One kind of respect.” He drew his rabbit form back into himself, smoothing his tall ears down onto his skull, wiping his hands off on an untorn portion of his vest. “The big kind. The loud kind.” Diem had only enough strength to lift the unswollen eye to look at the old…

Saw a movie trailer, the usual mercenary type, and had an idea for a movie teaser. There is no actual movie attached to this. I’m just practicing. — Opening shot: Following a man in a grey suit coat through a crowded bar to a table in the corner. A man sitting at the table, wearing a black flat cap, reads a book and drinks tomato soup. Grey Suit draws back a corner of his jacket, pulls out…

I will say, I don’t encounter a lot of folks who discourage me. But I’ve found that a lot of people “going nowhere” also say encouraging things… but never actually help. I have friends and family who do not grasp the sheer wendigo hunger of writing, publishing, advancing, learning, putting a book in someone’s hand and saying, “Here, a piece of my life, of my sweat and tears and hours of staring…

(pours a whiskey) That title is far too long. In the manga and anime series Bleach, there is a selection of heroes, villains, protagonists, deuterotagonists, rivals, friends, and Allies with Questionable Motives and Morals. By the way, I’m not explaining the whole world of it here. I’ll fill in relevant details, but if you want a few more clues on what I’m talking about, sorry, that’s your…

There’s some key information that I had to leave in. (sips a chocolate scotch) That’s right. I had to leave it in. I have to wrestle with that now. See, I wanted to limit how many people knew about the particular identity of one of the party members. I’ve built up a world of distrust between the species for good and bad reasons, and so having someone of one species suddenly helping the group…

Which just means, you can’t publish what you haven’t written. I’m trying to both keep up a pace, put what I learn into action, study the business side of things, and… and yes, write a book. Because having a plan for the product does no good if I don’t have the product. I’m still behind, but I’m getting less behind. Unfortunately, I’m now behind enough that I haven’t gotten a start on my next…

My wife got me into watching “Bristro Huddy” videos on Youtube. Each one is only a short. But oh, the craft! The craft of it, I tell you! (pours a beer) If you want a study in pacing, watch it. If you want a study in making distinct voices for your characters, watch it. If you want a study in character interactions, watch it. If you want a study in character growth maintaining character…

Brandon Sanderson has put out too many helpful videos, I’d never be able to find the exact one that says this, but… (pours a whiskey) As I’m still editing this book, I’m grappling with making a unified narrative that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, while still being part of a larger, longer narrative. In short, the story still feels a little scatter-brained. Character decisions aren’t…

From His Highest Honor Sir Terry Pratchett, I’ll let his words speak for themselves. Cheers.