Writing Into the Dark IV

I’ve determined over the past few days that I might be too much of a vibes-based writer for my own good. Maybe it’s because I spent so long not writing and just daydreaming about it. I tend to think first of setting, atmosphere, and feel rather than what Dean Wesley… Continue reading

Writing Into the Dark III

When Dean Wesley Smith talks about writing into the dark he implies some points that I think ought to be made explicit. Well, actually, some of these he does come out and say, but I think I need them said very plainly. Let’s start with the ones that he does… Continue reading

Heinlein’s Rules II

I am pleased to report that I once shared Heinlein’s Rules (let’s capitalize them now, like the Ten Commandments) with a creatively inclined patient and the effect has been (*crosses fingers*) transformative. The patient has described them as “beautiful” and is applying them to a medium other than writing; it… Continue reading

Heinlein’s Rules I

I’d better start talking about Robert A. Heinlein’s 5 rules after mentioning them before as a guiding light for me and the guy who helped me get writing again, Dean Wesley Smith. Heinlein was an important 20th-century science fiction author; if you’ve never heard of him, you may have heard… Continue reading