My Agent Told Me To Make A Blog

I am aware of an issue where Wordpress users are unable to comment on posts. I've looked into this, and it seems to be a problem with Wordpress and the OpenID system Blogger uses. That is to say, it's Wordpress's fault so I can't fix it. If you want to comment but don't have a Google or Blogger account, I've enabled the option for you to put a custom name & url ("Name/URL" in the dropdown menu). Sorry for the inconvenience if you tried to comment and couldn't!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Star Trek--especially Deep Space 9. I feel no need to pick sides here, even though I know the DS9 and B5 fandoms have had some, uh, friction . But in my mind, what's better than one amazing sci-fi drama set on a space station? Two amazing sci-fi dramas set on space stations! I suppose if you really, really pushed me to answer as accurately as possible, I'd say Star Trek: TNG is the all-time greatest sci-fi series, and I think a lot of that has to do with its cultural influence and the precedents it set. Babylon 5 , sadly, didn't reach nearly that level of widespread awareness and acclaim. Which is why I'm here to tell you about it today. On first viewing, Babylon 5 looks like a hokey, low-budget rip-off of DS9. I remember, several episodes into season 1, I was wondering what the big deal was about the show, and consulted the internet for reviews. It was okay , I thought, but it wasn't exactly as ground-breaking as I'd be...

You'd think I'd get more used to having an agent, not less. I'm sure as time goes by, my reasons for loving my agent will only pile onto the list. I've heard other authors talk about how wonderful they are when it comes to contract negotiations, fighting on your behalf with the publisher (the book cover, for example), and generally keeping your writing life in order. That stuff is all part of publishing-land, which I have yet to explore. For now, I'm a mere initiate to the Agented Authors Club. But it's an excellent place to be! I love having an agent in general, and I also love my agent. ( Caitlin McDonald of Donald Maass ) 1. She Has Superpowers Apparently she can wave a magic wand and come up with ten different ways to fix plot holes, character arcs, structural issues, and whatever other dilemmas I run into. Problems that have stumped me and my writing partners for years are like breakfast to her. Not only does she have a zillion ideas, those ideas ...

I can't outline. I can't do it. I thought I was an outliner, I wanted to be an outliner, I really tried to do it. But it turns out the more I write, the more I have to admit to myself I don't work that way. Generally writers like to categorize themselves into plotters or pantsers, gardeners or architects, outliners or discovery writers. In plain English, the difference is whether you plan everything ahead of time, or figure it out as you go. I always figured planning ahead was the obvious superior. How else could you end with a bang! How else could you guide the plot and characters along the appropriate path, and plant all the needed foreshadowing, and follow a logical structure? If you just make it up as you go, wouldn't you just meander all over the place and run into walls left and right? Weeeeellll... not really. And I learned this the hard way. Pull of Gravity required a decent amount of organization, because it has a non-linear structure. I had two timeli...

For today's Setting Inspirations I have some stunning pictures of New Zealand vineyards. Not only are the rows of crops gorgeous, the buildings themselves are big, breathtaking, and enchanting. They often have courtyards, fountains, gardens, and historical decorations for the tasting rooms. Every winery was unique, between the "feel" of the grounds and the taste of their wines. I also learned that many of these places have free wine tastings at their cellar door, and while organized wine tours are lots of fun, you can create your own "wine tour" very easily and cheaply. The majority of these photos are from Marlborough or Canterbury. Many of the entrances are covered in arches and vines. The buildings themselves have unique designs or an old, historical feel.       The best part, of course, is the vineyards around the grounds or out back. Usually the tasting room has a good view, with a deck or courtyard so you can sit outside. ...

I need to take a minute to air some grievances here. Apologies if this comes across more curmudgeony than usual. Since I've started blogging again and trying to learn social media, I've cruised through a lot of author blogs. As far as the "everyman" sort of blog goes, those written by my peers in similar situations to myself, I'm getting awfully disillusioned. There are, of course, some very helpful and inspiring blogs out there, and I'm also not talking about the websites of agents or extremely successful authors, like, I don't know, Neil Gaiman or somebody. But a lot of the I'm-an-aspiring-or-newly-self-published-author type of blogs do a very good job of making sure I don't come back. I won't touch on layout or ease of navigation today. While that's a big factor, it's not what made me angrily mutter to myself and trudge over to blogger to complain. My two major gripes are these: 1. Long strings of paragraphs full of inane th...