One of my favorite parts of being an author is connecting with so many amazing, diverse individuals. A lot of people assume that networking is only about getting yourself to the next level, but if you’re focused only on that you miss a lot of amazing people and lessons along the way. It’s important to … More Writing Tips from Lisa Vasquez, the Unsaintly Queen
So, we’ve gone over the importance of reading before – you can’t appreciate the genres you write in, can’t know what’s out there, unless you’re surrounding yourself with stuff. Alright? Alright. Well, welcome to my TED Talk 2.0. One of the things I’ve learned this year (hey, I’m still learning, too), is another one of … More Read for Where You Wanna Be (Practical Advice)
This is another of those so obvious I probably shouldn’t include it, but it’s well-known for a reason. Confession: I haven’t made it all the way through this one. I’ve had to take it in spurts, and that seems to be the case for most people I know who own it. It’s definitely one … More SJ Reads: The Artist’s Way
Guess where I went the other day? Yep, along with Nano, I decided I needed to get back to my critique club. Which, if you know me, means I hang out at the cat cafe in a lame attempt to write while I really commune with felines. Or something. Anywho, let’s see what … More Caturday Critique Club: NanoWriMo Edition
So, I had hoped to pre-write content for this month like I usually do, but things obviously have gotten the better of me a bit, and then….Nano happened. Yep. I don’t think I’ve discussed this on here before, but around my other media I’ve been known as not being a huge fan of Nanowrimo for … More Where I’ve Been: or the moment Nano finally won me over.
I feel like this is such a typical book to recommend, I shouldn’t put it on the list, but truthfully, it’s damn good. I have mixed feelings on Stephen King as a whole, but no one can argue with his career and output, and this is truly a really unique, interesting way to illustrate a … More SJ Reads: On Writing
Since so many people are doing Nanowrimo, I thought it might be interesting to focus SJ Reads this month on books about writing and creating. I know, way to get original, amirite? Anywho, let’s start with something light and easy. I’d had the books of Austin Kleon recommended to me before, but because I am a … More SJ Reads: Steal Like an Artist/Show Your Work
There are a lot of things that make horror horror: certain tropes and cliches, different archetype/stock characters, playing up emotional reactions, gore, playing up the action and danger, writing what some people might call at least dangerous or sometimes taboo… Those are all part of it. But let’s not forget the role of environment and … More The Dread is in the Details
We’re back to some practical advice for this month, so pull up a chair and let’s dish. About a year ago, I was guesting at a convention and was hanging out with some other authors. The topic of books came up (duh), and what we were reading, and I heard something which was utterly offensive … More Dear Writers: Please Read (A Book)
Alright, back to vampires. Warning: long post, but I think breaking it up would just make the flow uneven. I’ve had variations of this post in my head for a long time. I think it’s hard to put what things mean to you into words that actually convey those feelings. I personally also have a … More Influences: The Lost Boys
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