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Month: August 2014

Writing Transgender Characters

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I’m getting ready to start another story, my first with a transgender character. The character’s gender identity as a man will be central to the storyline. I am excited to write it, and also a bit nervous – any time you write something you don’t know intimately yourself, you run the risk of either doing it poorly, or of offending the group you are writing about. Still, I think it’s worth the risk. We should always challenge ourselves in our writing, And sure, I may not (probably won’t) write this character as well as someone who is actually transgender, I … Read more

Writing for Myself

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When I was a young writer, I had that big dream – to become the next Anne McCaffrey, or Piers Anthony, or Isaac Asimov – this was well before the days of Harry Potter. I was sure of my writing brilliance.

Writing The Perfect First Scene

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Let’s face it. The first scene of your story is like the front door of your house. If it’s dingy, dusty, falling off the hinges, and covered with bric-a-brac and dead ivy, no one’s gonna want to come inside. But it it’s well lit, clean, and organized, folks are more likely to take a step inside. I’ve written a number of stories, and have gotten a lot of advice on how to start a new story in the most appealing way. And quite often, the way I choose to start it initially and the final beginning are very different. Some … Read more

Writing Short vs. Writing Long

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So I was thrilled to have a couple more sales this week (details to be announced at a later date) for two of my short stories. But it made me wonder, once again, about writing short stories vs. writing novels. Short stories take less time, and can get you out there in many places. But the pay for shorts is not huge, and ultimately they offer only a taste of your potential to the reader. I still think the long game is in writing long – in getting novels put together and out there for folks to enjoy and talk … Read more