Writing

Thom on May 9th, 2013

I did not eat the plums that were in the icebox and which you may still have for breakfast Forgive me the chocolate cake looked delicious but now looks gone (with apologies to William Carlos Williams) My daughter is doing a poety assignment for school, so every poem that strikes her fancy has been thrust before [...]

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Thom on April 29th, 2013

So how’s my novel coming? I’m glad you asked. Even if you didn’t. But it’s my blog, so I can rhetorically put words in your mouths. Nyeah! It’s coming. I’m still in the planning stage, but I’ve reached the outlining stage. After having read Million Dollar Outlines, by David Farland, I picked up some ideas [...]

Continue reading about Writing Update – 4/29/13

Thom on April 12th, 2013

The other night I was working on the groundwork for my next novel. It involves two musicians in a competitive situation, and it occurred to me that I didn’t want the two of them to be competing on the same instruments. My protagonist plays the lute, so I couldn’t have his rival be a lutenist [...]

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Thom on March 20th, 2013

The conventional wisdom is that eBooks are going to take over and destroy traditional publishing and physical books. Perhaps, but here is something to consider: A Memory of Light: Hardcover – $19.99   eBook – $14.99 The Casual Vacancy: HC – $21.00   eB – $8.99 Alex Cross, Run: HC – $15.99   eB – $11.99 Ender’s Game: [...]

Continue reading about Perceptions of value

Since having attended the local writers symposium last month I’ve become increasingly aware of the world of self-publishing, or at least more aware of the extent of it. It’s a wonderful thing that so much can be available to so many so easily. Writers who might never otherwise been heard are getting heard. But I [...]

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Thom on March 7th, 2013

My daughter has been about ready to combust lately over the story she’s about to write. She came away from the recent writers symposium full of ideas and eager to write, but with also with a firm determination to plan her story out before starting this time. It’s driving her crazy. But I understand how [...]

Continue reading about Let’s get started already!

Thom on February 27th, 2013

I was recently introduced to an online community of writers centered more or less in Utah, and started hanging out there about the time they put out the call for guest posts on their website blog. I decided to go for it. Here’s my first submission, The Long Fight. Tweet

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Thom on February 20th, 2013

I’m world-building for my next novel, and it’s no simple task. With any luck this will turn into a series, so I’m creating a lot of back story. Or at least I’m supposed to be. I have to admit that I’ve been struggling a bit with the sheer size of the undertaking. So today I [...]

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Thom on February 14th, 2013

Well, I survived day one of LTUE 31, the annual science fiction and fantasy writers symposium sponsored by BYU. I’m exhausted, but it was a good day. What did I learn? There are a stinkin’ lot of people hoping to become writers. There were at least 150 people in every class, and probably around six [...]

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Thom on January 8th, 2013

After waiting in vain for a copy of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn to come available at my local library I finally just put it on my Christmas wish list. At least that way if I didn’t like it, it would have been someone else paying for it. Actually, that wasn’t my concern. Enough people I know [...]

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