[I] know what you’re thinking. This seems like a bit of an odd post for me to put up on a Thursday morning. But you see, last night at my writers group, the issue of speaking at conferences came up1 and certain people asked for advice and suggested that, given the prolificity of my blog…
[T]he Little Man, who turned four back in June, is definitely becoming more aware of what is going on around him. He notices more and understands more which is both wonderful and frightening. To illustrate the latter, let me give an example from yesterday (or possibly a few days ago; I am not certain.) We…
[T]his evening, I officially passed the 80,000 word mark on the novel. I wrote 1,350 words this evening, bringing the total to 80,800 words. I am closing in on the end of the novel. Even as I see it, it seems almost unreal. I slowed down a bit last week while at Worldcon. I wrote…
[T]oday marks 180 days since I started in earnest to write fiction every day. 180 days is not quite half a year, but it’s a nice round number and close enough for me. Â This wasn’t a planned thing. I just decided that I needed more practice and more consistency if I was going to produce…
[I] passed the 70,000 word mark on the novel today. My pace has definitely picked up and I am certain that I will be finished with the first draft by the end of September. I plan on setting the novel aside for two months to give me the proper distance before I go back and…
[W]hile at Launchpad, there was a discussion about various ways writers track their submissions. Some writers use a service like Duotropes, others use a simple spreadsheet, others still write them down in a notebook. I’ve always done mine in a spreadsheet, one that eventually evolved into a Google Spreadsheet and, as is my wont, became…
[O]ne of the things that has been keeping me busy is my writing, which I take to be a good thing. As I believe I have recently passed an important milestone, I think its time to make explicit a confession that I have only hinted at or beat around the bush with: The story, which…
[I] got back from a writing session at the Arlington Central Library (where I added 3,200 words to my WIP) to find this waiting at home for me. My copy of the Beyond the Sun anthology, edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt,  in which my story, “Flipping the Switch” appears.  For those who might be curious, here…
[C]heck out my Daily Almanac1 entry for yesterday. When I saw it this morning, I really couldn’t believe it: I managed to write over 8,200 words yesterday. I also set a record for the most blogging I’ve done in one day. Of course, most of this was the post I wrote answering people’s questions on…
[F]or my friends who prefer e-books over paper, the new anthology, Beyond the Sun, in which my story “Flipping the Switch” appears, is now available in e-book format over at Baen Books. If you were holding out for an e-book edition, the wait is over. Of course, the book is also available in tradition paper from the…
[S]o as I mentioned earlier, today is a dedicated writing day. Kelly took the kids to visit some friends so I had the morning and early afternoon to myself in order to write. When I write, I generally do it in my office at home. If I have to be out when I am writing,…
[T]oday has been reserved for me to get a bunch of writing done, so my presence online may be spotty throughout the day, with occasional pop-ins to report progress. First up, is the long WIP, which will pass its halfway mark this morning. I am in what novelists called “the middle muddle”, or something like…