In my last post, I mentioned a writers workshop I went to on the coast. One of the presenters was a horror writer/director named Duncan Birmingham. His movie Who Invited Them? is on Hulu, and definitely worth a watch if you’re into unsettling, off putting stories. Duncan’s presentation involved what he called “unpacking the suitcase.”Continue reading “Overthinking? Try Unpacking the Suitcase”
Tag Archives: Writing
Let’s Start at the (New) Beginning
Looking at a couple examples of great book openings.
Writing Through Distractions
To clarify, I’m not offering advice here, I’m asking for it. I remain about 65k words into my latest WIP, where I’ve been stuck since just before Thanksgiving. Why? Because I got distracted and I’m having trouble getting the ball rolling again. But wait, what’s that, there on the horizon? It’s an even bigger distraction!Continue reading “Writing Through Distractions”
Are Any of You in IRL Writer’s Groups?
Something has come over me recently. I don’t know why now, of all times, but it has. I’ve been thinking about writer’s groups. Writing is a highly solitary endeavor most of the time, as you all know. I guess I’m yearning for some camaraderie, and having people willing and able to ready work and offerContinue reading “Are Any of You in IRL Writer’s Groups?”
Where Do You Find Inspiration?
Inspiration for writers can sometimes be hard to come by. We’re all out there, grinding as best we can, but sometimes that doesn’t cut it. Sometimes it feels like being a writer is nothing but a huge exercise in futility. You write, you submit, you get rejected, rinse, repeat. After a while you can startContinue reading “Where Do You Find Inspiration?”
Unsolicited Advice From an Unqualified Source
Well, I don’t know if I’d call myself *completely* unqualified. Partly qualified? Sure, let’s go with that. I just thought the title was catchy and went with it. What I’d like to do is offer a little advice/encouragement to writers at nearly every stage of their journey. And what gives me, a largely unpublished writerContinue reading “Unsolicited Advice From an Unqualified Source”
Word Count Is Only Important If You Want It to Be
So it’s almost the end of Spooky Season (not really a fan of that term and yet here I am using it, good grief), and I know for a lot of you that means one thing: National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo, aka NaNo) is almost upon us. Starting on November 1st, many of youContinue reading “Word Count Is Only Important If You Want It to Be”
We Are One Month Away from #PitDark!
Are you one of the many writers out there with a finished manuscript, currently querying agents or publishers in an attempt to find it a home? If you are, you may already know about #PitDark, but if not you should definitely read on. Like #PitMad, the other pitch event, #PitDark is a twice yearly queryingContinue reading “We Are One Month Away from #PitDark!”
Do You All Know This Ira Glass Quote?
Actually, I guess I should back up a step—do you all know Ira Glass? He’s a journalist and host of the radio program This American Life on NPR. If you’ve never heard it, I’ve seen it described as “journalistic non-fiction.” Between that phrase and the fact that it’s on public radio, you might think itContinue reading “Do You All Know This Ira Glass Quote?”
Publisher vs Agent: Grudge Match
Just kidding, there’s no grudge. In my last post I alluded to having a decision to make regarding the fate of my novel, since it is now fully back in my hands after the rights were returned to me by the previous almost-publisher. And that decision is one I suspect a lot of writers canContinue reading “Publisher vs Agent: Grudge Match”
BooksofJobe.com 