Category: Uncategorized
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How Can You Avoid Writing Distractions?
We all have them — those things that distract us when we sit down to write. Or sometimes before we sit down to write. At times, they strike even when we contemplate thinking about intending to write. They can be anything — pets, email, household chores, social media, etc. Obviously,…
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Fantasy Novels and the Real World
We have an interesting power as fantasy authors. We can invent a unique society that operates according to the rules we choose. As long as the world we write about remains consistent with its own rules and is familiar enough to be engaging to our readers, we have a lot…
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An Indy Author’s Resolutions
Happy 2021! A brand new year. The Year of Hope. New Year’s resolutions are not usually my thing. I tend to prefer a Yoda attitude toward them: “Resolve not! Write or write not. There is no resolve.” However, in the spirit of this bright new year, and because my Friday…
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Celebrations in Fantasy Novels
Happy Holidays to all my friends out there! I hope that, despite the pandemic, your holidays are still filled with love and joy. And to all my friends and family who are celebrating Christmas today, I wish you a very merry one. Since my Friday blog this week falls on…
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A Few Written Words About Audio Books
Before I retired, my job often required me to drive long distances. Those of you familiar with Southern California freeways know that, during rush hour, it can literally take hours to drive a few miles. During those days of sitting in endless, slow-moving traffic, I discovered the joy of audiobooks.…
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Do You Outline Your Novels Before You Write?
Notice that the title of today’s blog post does not say: “Should you outline your novels before you write?” I don’t think there is a correct answer to the “should you outline” question. From what I have heard and read, it seems to be a matter of author preference. There…
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Update on Current Book Projects
It’s been a while since I provided an update on the current writing projects, so this seems like a good time. John and I are still hard at work on our latest fantasy novel Prophecy’s Malignant Son. We have over 50,000 words written at this point, and we are still…
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Writing and RPGs
Think back to the year 1977. It was a great year to be a science-fiction/fantasy fan in San Diego. The original Star Wars opened in May 1977. The Silmarillion was finally published. The Star Trek Association for Revival met at San Diego State on the third Saturday of every month…
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Writing, Marathons, and Mountains
November is National Novel Writing Month, a time in which many talented people produce thousands of written words in a single month. They are probably drafting the upcoming New York Times bestsellers, even as I type this blog. Some day, perhaps, I will possess both the time and the capability…
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Five Fantasy Authors Who Influenced My Early Writing
Back in the 1970’s and 80’s when I was in high school and college, fantasy was still a fairly new genre. Authors such as Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs had been writing speculative fiction for years, but the genre really seemed to find itself in the second half of…
Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors 