Today Robert Jackson Bennett returns to Inkpunks with another great post, this time about taking chances with your characters. Enjoy! Most of my writing decisions – or the big ones, at least – are more or less the equivalent of someone standing at the top of a tall gap, and saying, “I bet I can […]
Category > Editing
Guest Post: Outlining, by John Klima
John Klima previously worked at Asimov’s, Analog, and Tor Books before returning to school to earn his Master’s in Library and Information Science. He now works full time as a librarian. When he is not conquering the world of indexing, John edits and publishes the Hugo Award-winning genre zine Electric Velocipede. The magazine has is […]
Guest post from Carol Penn-Romine: Sorbet for the Creative Palate
This week’s guest post comes from food writer and all-around rock star Carol Penn-Romine. Thanks so much for your contribution, Carol! Last Sunday was Freaky Friday at our house. My husband Andy, a.k.a. Ink Gorilla, entertainment industry professional and the resident writer of science fiction and fantasy, was in the kitchen cooking Moroccan food, baking […]
Bifocals for Authorial Vision
I recently finished watching the movie Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women. (It’s a great movie about a fascinating woman in a fascinating family–I recommend it highly!) If you don’t know, Louisa May Alcott was the J.K. Rowling of her time, growing so successful from her children’s books that she became, in adjusted […]
the taxman and the artist
So. A few weeks ago, I took my receipts, pay stubs, and pages and pages of handwritten notes to an accountant to see about filing taxes as a freelance illustrator. It was my first time doing this and I was nervous the accountant would take one look at my stack of tattered papers and tell […]
Guest Post: 9 Ways to Piss Off an Editor, by James L. Sutter
By far the most useful thing I’ve ever done for my writing career is getting into editing. Being the Fiction Editor for Paizo Publishing has helped me make connections with amazing editors and authors, taught me the business side of publishing from contracts to distribution, and helped me recognize common writing mistakes and cliches before […]
Guest post from Tracie Welser: On the First Sale, and Believing the Impossible
Today’s guest post comes from Tracie Welser, a graduate of Clarion West. Many thanks to Tracie for her contribution, and congratulations on the subject of her post! Scenario: a seemingly Impossible Thing occurs, and you freeze. Then your body ceases to behave normally, and your jaw works up and down but no sounds escape. The […]
To Follow the “Rules” or Not: That is the Question
Rules. Advice. Words of wisdom. We writers are bombarded with information on how to write better, how to make our work more saleable, how to increase our daily word count etc. There are books on the subject. Blogs (including this one, which I hope you all find helpful ~winsome smile~). Whole conventions, with scores of […]
Guest post by Jake Kerr: Behind The Scenes of “The Old Equationsâ€
This week’s guest post comes from Jake Kerr, whose very first sale–the novelette “The Old Equations”–was just nominated for a Nebula award. Many thanks to Jake for giving us this peek at what was a very dramatic and grueling editing process, and congratulations on his nomination! Warning: Lots of spoilers in this. I recommend you […]
Guest post: Anatomy of a Murder, By Lee Moyer
How important is the cover of a book to it’s success? In this post Lee Moyer gives an insightful breakdown of composition, color and typography on two different book covers to reveal a possible reason for why one sold so well and the other didn’t. Originally posted to his personal blog, Lee has graciously permitted […]
