Point of View

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Point of View: It’s Monday

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I’m having one of those days. One of those days where you know you need to write. Your NaNoWriMo chart is looking a bit anemic. And you need to get your ass in gear. And yet… Sometimes it seems like the world is against you. There are so many other things to do. Things that need to be washed. And sorted. And people who need to be called. And yeah, some of these things are just ways to put off writing. Writers are nothing if not stellar procrastinators. But sometimes the world really is against you when it comes to … Read more

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Point of View: Five Fitness Tips for NaNoWriMo

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Hey all, Now that NaNoWriMo has begin, I thought I’d share some tips for keeping your mind and body in shape for the marathon writing session you’re gonna have to do on November 30th to finish that damnable 50,000 word novel you committed to on November 1st. Follow these five tips carefully, and you should be in great shape once the last day of NaNo rolls around. 1) Eat Well: Stock up on brain foods that will help get you through long sessions of being chained to a desk while you berate yourself, shout at your inner critic to just … Read more

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Point of View: Scenes from a Con

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Alex Wifi Dance

So we’re about to hit the road (or the sky) for our trip home from Nijicon in Philadelphia. It was a good con – come next year, y’all! But we had a blast, and met some great folks. So I thought I’d share a few moments with you from our time at the con: 1) The Dancing Alex: Our buddy Alex Woolfson, of “The Young Protectors” fame, was at Niji with us. The Hall wifi kinda sucked, so every time he made a sale (which was fairly often). we’d look over to see Alex doing his wifi dance to try … Read more

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Point of View: Five Things You Have to Do Before a Con

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Scott swag

We’re getting ready to go to Nijicon next weekend in Philadelphia, so I thought this would be a great time to go over the steps we take to get ourselves ready for a writer con. 1) Shave. And Shower. Seriously. We all get wrapped up in our writing, sitting in our little writer caves, and many of us work a second (and sometimes third) job to pay the bills to allow us the ability to write. And it’s easy to forget to comb your hair, put on clothes, and wear deodorant like a regular person every morning when you get … Read more

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Point of View: Five Strategies for Winning NaNoWriMo

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NaNoWriMo is coming up next month, and authors all over the country will be sitting down at chaining themselves to their laptops, ipads, or notepads to scribble out a “winning” story – 50K words in 30 days (and don’t forget, Thanksgiving is in there too). So here are my tips for getting to 50k by November 30th. 1) Plan Out Your Story in Advance: This isn’t absolutely necessary – some of us are born pantsers, after all. And of course, if you are a plotter, you can plan out your story with varying levels of detail, from a note scribbled … Read more

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Point of View: Six Steps to Prepare for Your Adoring Public

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I’m about to meet one of my adoring fans. OK, so they’re also a great friend and writer, so it’s not the same as meeting a fan (or fans) cold. But it got me thinking – what are the things any writer should do before meeting their fans? So here’s my list – I hope you find it helpful: 1) Shave and shower. OK, so the shaving part may not apply to everyone. But it’s important to give a good impression to your fans. Sure, in their minds-eye, they see you in your writer cave. But they imagine it as … Read more

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Point of View: Trouble Right Here in River City

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River City Chronicles

I’m about to embark on a brand new adventure, something that I as a writer have never done before. I’m going to write a serialized piece of fiction, a story that unfolds slowly and publicly week by week on my blog. And as if that weren’t enough of a challenge, I’m going to release each new episode simultaneously in both Italian and English. Several things have come together recently to make this possible: I started a new blog for myself as a writer in June, which needed content I published Between the Lines with Dreamspinner Press in July, a magical … Read more

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My Top Five Excuses for Not Writing Today

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scott and parsley

As writers, we all know time is not our friend. We have stories to tell, and they won’t get told if we spend all day figuring out reasons why we’re not yet ready to write. And yet about ten percent of my potential writing time goes to procrastination. So here, without further ado… hey, what the heck is an ado, anyhow? My top excuses for not writing today. 1) I Got So Much Writing Done Yesterday: So I had a great writing day yesterday. I actually exceeded my goal, so I’m way ahead of the game. I can afford to … Read more

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WROTE – The Evolution of One Author’s Journey

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Hey all. SA “Baz” Collins here. When Scott asked me to guest blog on his site I was immediately intrigued. In the short time I’ve come to know Scott and his works I’ve been nothing short of impressed at the sheer volume of work he does in queer storytelling (writing novels being just one aspect). So what to write about? I pondered talking about my current work (Angels of Mercy – which has a new release coming out at the end of September) that dives into homophobia in competitive sports (in this case American high school football). And while a … Read more

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Point of View: Six Steps to Becoming a Better Beta Reader

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Hey all, Welcome to my weekly rumination on all things writing. 🙂 This week, I’m in the midst of beta reading several works for an anthology I’m involved in. I’ve only been beta reading for a year or so, though I was critiquing stories long before that. But it got me thinking. What are the things you need to do to be a great beta reader? Here are my thoughts: 1) Ask the Author What They Want: This is the most important, because it sets the ground rules. Some authors want just a high level storyline critique – does the … Read more