This is the time of year that I generally reflect on the past twelve months: what I’ve done, and what I’d like to do better. It’s kind of like New Year for me–it’s when I make my resolutions and set my goals, and think about the things I’m grateful for. This is partly because my […]
Author Archive > inkhaven
Guest Post – Literary Mercenaries: Is Media Tie-In Writing Right For You?
James L. Sutter returns to Inkpunks today with a guest post on writing media tie-ins. Feel free to ask James any questions in the comments. Thanks for your contribution, James! Literary Mercenaries: Is Media Tie-In Writing Right For You? by James L. Sutter As writers of fiction, most of us follow a time-honored pattern […]
Playing With Structure
Okay, so I’m probably a total freak, but I love structure. This is what gets me through first drafts (which I loathe). It’s what makes a nebulous idea sort itself out in my head. There are some wonderful books on structure out there, and I’d advise you to heed the wise words of writers much […]
Bring the Bibliophile Stalker to WFC with the World SF Travel Fund
Today we saw the launch of a cause that’s near and dear to the heart of all Inkpunks: the World SF Travel Fund, a peer-backed fund that will allow international members of the SF community to come to where the cons are. From the website: A combination of genre professionals and fans from the international […]
The Benefits of Being a Hack (Or: Why You Don’t Want to Be Ted Chiang)
Today’s guest post comes from writer and editor James L. Sutter, whose anthology Before They Were Giants should be on every writer’s bookshelf. Thanks for contributing, James! There’s a thing that happens to me a lot, which I’ll bet happens to you as well. I’ll get a story idea–whether driving to work, talking science with […]
Quick Tips on Finding an Editor, by Lillian Cohen-Moore
We were asked on Twitter recently how to find a good free-lance editor. We turn today to Lillian Cohen-Moore for the answer. Be sure to leave your own tips and questions in the comments. Thanks for your wisdom, Lily! As someone who has been on both the editorial and writer side, I’ve picked up a […]
The Dos and Don’ts of Your Online Presence
You’ve heard it before: Fake it ’til you make it. In a larger sense this means that if we want to be viewed as professionals, we need to act like professionals. In this particular instance, we can use it as a guide toward how to comport ourselves online. Eventually we are going to make that […]
Motivation, procrastination, and the only thing we have to fear
Once again I put out a call for blog post suggestions, and Charles A. Tan had a few. (We can always count on Charles.) There were some great ones there, including “motivating yourself to write.” I read through them all. Then I checked my Direct Messages and played with the cat. So yeah, I thought about […]
Lessons From the Slush Pile: Your Cover Letter and You
The following is a slightly modified repost from my personal blog, http://inkhaven.net. Submitting to short fiction markets can be very scary for newcomers, and there is a whole lot of confusing advice out there. I’m here to help. First, though: you guys with the long lists of publications, who have your editors on your Christmas […]
Lessons From the Slushpile: Good vs. Great
When I got stuck for a blog topic this week I asked for suggestions on Twitter. Three of you said you’d like to read about what I’ve learned from working for Lightspeed Magazine. This is timely, actually, because January 9 marked one year since I joined the team, initially as a slush reader, and later […]
