Ah, my horrible, awful, vomit-inducing, virginity-protecting, cancerous first book. A 77-page Legend of Dragoon fanfiction. You can decide which part of that sentence makes you squirm the most. Did I mention there was a self-insert in there? Anywho, if by some herculean effort and non-existent gag reflex you should slog through the bulk of this … Continue reading One Sure Sign of Bad Writing
I've once again run into the enemy of all writers: employment. Granted, it's only temporary employment, but it's amazing how much less time you have to write when you're contributing to society and feeding your family. But whether you're a full-time writer or a hopeful on Wattpad, if you want to be a serious writer, … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #21–How Much Should A Writer Write Every Day?
Some tropes we just love. We've seen them 8 million times and we'll happily see them again...if they're done right. This series explores good and bad tropes in books, film, anime, and video games. What was the very first twist ending? I'm guessing it was the whole Jesus-came-back-to-life moment, but plot twists are some of … Continue reading Trope Teardown: Good Twist, Bad Twist, Cheap Twist, Seuss Joke
I'm a writer and editor. I know the rules. Don't use "felt." Don't use "very." Don't use "-ly" words. Don't use adverbs at all if you can help it. Don't use to-be verbs. Show, don't tell. Don't use flashbacks. Start in scene. Don't use passive voice. These are all good rules. But there's one more … Continue reading Writing Extremes are Always BS.
Ever notice how something can get so bad that it achieves a life of its own and gets exponentially worse the longer it goes? I'm sure it has a fancy, scientific name, but I call it "Compound Suck." The more crap there is in a book, the more that crap starts to link together, each … Continue reading “Compound Suck,” and How to Avoid it In Your Writing
The other day, I announced that Ferryman was available for pre-order, so I should be focusing on that, right? Ha! You mistake me for someone who has control over himself! No, I've been working on a totally new and unrelated novel. Well, I was until I hit a wall. Twelve characters enter a room. All … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #14–The Creative Power of Absolutely Nothing
If you haven't been following my blog, first of all, click that Follow button in the upper-right for semi-weekly awesomeness. Now you'll know the next time I quit my job and move my whole family to a different time zone where I know no one, have next to no money, and have to sell most … Continue reading When the Adventure Starts to Suck
I've been unemployed for about two months now, without stead work for even longer. Being unemployed is about as fun as finding a scorpion in your shoe and I'm betting you agree. There's a feeling of entrapment, sometimes desperation, trying to earn a living. But with unemployment around 8% according to the NY Times, and that's just in … Continue reading 10 Tips for the Unemployed/Underemployed Christian
"So...your advice to me is to get advice?" Yeah, pretty much. And no, this isn't a shameless advert for my blog. Titus 2: 3-8 instructs that older, more mature Christians should instruct the younger ones. Proverbs is an entire book about seeking wisdom and does so in the format of a teacher instructing his or … Continue reading Christian Dating Advice Finale–Get Advice!
So, up until this point, I've basically been writing about what to do BEFORE you're dating. Now I seem to be jumping into WHEN you're dating. Why? First, this tip can be used before you meet them, too. Second, everyone and their brother gives dating advice like talk openly, learn to have fun together, don't … Continue reading Christian Dating Part 7–How do I know they’re the ONE?
Fencing With Ink 