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Here we go.

Here we go.

Today is a big day. I'm releasing my first fiction into the world. It's a short story set in the Stars over Apocrita universe, the same as my first novel, Heartspeed. The story is a science fiction suspense/thriller, and will have minor tie-ins with Heartspeed....

Ramblings from the Starting Line

Ramblings from the Starting Line

It's 4:00 AM here on a cold November morning in Pittsburgh. Today is Saturday, just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and when my daughter gets up, we're going to go get a new battery for her iPhone. When we get back, we're going to put up the Christmas tree....

When is your book outline good enough?

When is your book outline good enough?

As I continue to work on my debut novel, I likewise continue to learn as I go. I've been following a mix of McKee and Egri in my story-building process. First, I've identified a main plot, and three subplots. Then, I gave each a color, as you can see in the picture. I...

Too Old to Begin Writing?

Too Old to Begin Writing?

The short answer: I hope not. The long version: I'll be 48 years old in 10 days. I'm pushing 50, man. Not only that, but I have a great job in software engineering. My wife and I live comfortably, I've got two teenagers who I'm trying to guide along, I've got hobbies,...

Plot Points with Scrivener

Plot Points with Scrivener

I'm a huge Scrivener fan. Scrivener is not just a great place to arrange your scenes and do your writing; it is a story engineering power tool (Hey L&L, I'm patiently waiting for 3.0 for Windows!) So you'll recall from last...

Step By Step

Step By Step

I'm deep into the step outline of my WIP. Now that I finally decided on the premise for the book, things are moving along. The process is going like this: Identify key scenes where the premise moves closer to, or farther away from being proven.This goes for subplots...

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