Like many fantasy authors, I wanted to write in this genre because I love reading in it. Discovering a great new fantasy novel — especially the first of a series — is simply thrilling. The downside of learning to write fiction is that one begins to read everything more critically. Always looking for plot holes […]
Writing Competition, Craft, and Cold Reality
As is true with many of the most desirable professions, success at writing requires a special confluence of talent, hard work, dedication, and sheer luck. As one of my favorite epic fantasy authors put it: If you want to write, then write. If you want to be a writer, go study accounting.” It’s not enough […]
Twitter Pitching Contests: Your Novel in 140 Characters or Less
Yesterday I participated in a lively Twitter event called #PitMad, in which aspiring authors pitch their completed manuscripts in 140 characters or less. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., participants would tweet their pitches using the #pitmad hashtag, a feed that could be monitored by agents, editors, and other interested parties. Since I’m a scientist, […]
A Story Premise in a Christmas Carol
It’s December 24th, and I find it virtually impossible to walk five feet in without being subjected to Christmas music. I heard did hear one song that struck me as a perfectly delivered story premise. Granted, this may be from my recent exposure to querying agents for fiction works. Capturing the essence of a 100,000 […]
Querying Literary Agents: The Numbers
A few of my writing friends have asked about the whole querying-agents-to-get published thing, since I’ve recently become intimately acquainted with this process. As most aspiring novelists are aware, one does not simply approach a major publishing house with one’s own manuscript these days, just as one does not simply walk into Mordor. True, some […]
