Science Fiction and Fantasy
Thanks for taking the time to read my latest journal article. Much of my day now involves writing my next book, and I’m often surprised I haven’t posted in a few weeks.
Today, I reminisce about the power of story, and why I craft the novels I do.
Let me tell you what drove me to become a writer and storyteller. I wasn’t always this way. But even as a child, the love of books was part of my nature.
Continue reading “The Power of Story”
The above picture was taken in my backyard, where the flowers are looking fabulous. As for my writing, I am nearly done editing my third novel, Elthea’s Paradox.
This one has taken me longer than the others. Yet, as a good friend explained, “Once published, nobody will compliment you on how rapidly you finished it. Every book is judged on its quality.”
Editing can be both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because this is the point where I massage the storyline to make it shine and easier to read. No reader wants to trip over sentences throughout a book, and this is where I polish those rough edges. It’s frustrating because, well, good writing is hard. I can spend hours reworking a short passage over and over again.
Continue reading “A Summertime Update”
Good writing is unbelievably complicated. I feel that’s especially true for novels. Fiction authors have many decisions to consider when crafting stories that are enjoyable and easy to read.
But it all starts with the seed of an idea that can be developed into a plot.
I used a college course called The Utopia Project to help me write a story that became the science fantasy series The Story of Elthea’s Realm. The course was the springboard for everything that followed in my books.
Continue reading “My Inspiration for The Story of Elthea’s Realm”
Happy New Year!
This is the time of year that marks a transition in our lives from what has happened to what will be. We face a blank page where everything is possible for the good things we have yet to accomplish.
For myself as a writer, it’s an occasion to reflect on how I’ve evolved in this craft. I believe I’ve come a long way, but I’m always trying to improve my skills before I’m satisfied. The feeling is simultaneously one of the banes and one of the joys of being an author.
Well, somehow it’s been three years now since I began writing fiction full-time. I’ve learned much during this time, like how to piece together a bunch of disparate ideas into a seamless plot.
But mostly, I’ve learned that a good novel is actually a conversation between two people — the writer and the reader. To me, that’s the magic of fiction, and of storytelling. And it’s what I try to achieve in my books.