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LGBTQIA+ characters and me
As someone both bisexual and nonbinary there is a decided lack of representation for people like me. Obviously, things are shifting away from that, and it’s a good thing. But within fantasy and science fiction itself there is still a lack of representation. That is changing, especially with things like self-publishing becoming increasingly popular. I…
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Reading
I think it’s a given that I’m a reader. A lifetime ago I’d do a book every day or two but nowadays my reading is often interrupted by day-to-day life. But it doesn’t answer what I like to read. Well, the short answer is I’ll read almost anything I can get my hands on that I find interesting. Be it autobiographies, historical fiction, urban fantasy, even thrillers and…
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Book Announcement
I am excited to announce I released a collection of short stories on the web novel site royal road! They’re a bunch of the stories I’ve posted to Patreon, cleaned up and ready to read for free. It’s been out for a little bit because I wasn’t expecting to be quite as ready as I was.…
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Motivation
I have executive dysfunction. I don’t have a diagnosis of ADHD, but I do have bipolar disorder, and executive dysfunction is often a symptom people struggle with and I am no exception. When I was in school as a kid it was common for me to either show up or do my homework, but it was rare I did…
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Imposter Syndrome
In the beginning, it’s hard to get started. There are always last-minute ideas to hammer out and things left to consider before a proper start gets underway. And once underway, it can take a while to get into a comfortable groove. After a few thousand words though, I’ll settle into a rhythm and make substantial progress. Towards the middle, which…
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Influences
Every creative person that has ever existed has their influences. Many of them are in our own fields. But plenty of them are outside of our fields as well. I can list a dozen authors that have played an integral part in driving me, but it’s not just authors I draw inspiration and motivation from. For one…
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Underwriting
I am a chronic underwriter. It’s something I’ve had to accept. My first drafts are lean, clocking in between 35k and 50k words for the first pass. It’s because I’m in a race to the end and my first goal is to get out as much as fast as possible. Details, unless they’re especially loud,…
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How many is too many?
WIPs (Work in Progress) progress faster if you mainly focus on one at a time. Of course, sometimes it’s not possible. Maybe you’re really stuck and need to get your head out of it for a while. Maybe (like me) you get so engrossed you absolutely need to switch gears for a little while to…
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I’m done. Now what?
I finished my first draft. It still needs work, so what comes next? Novel writing is a lot of work, and by the end for me it becomes all-consuming; pushing everything else out of the picture because I can’t focus on anything else. Now that I’m done with this draft, I feel spent, as well…
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Writing every day isn’t always possible
Why do I write every day? Well, it’s complicated. I personally prefer to, but lately life has been stressful, so I’ve been taking more mental health days than I usually do. Today all I managed was a couple lines in one document and two paragraphs apiece in two others. I got a few ideas started…