How to (stay motivated to) Write (consistently)

TLDR: Don't set arbitrary goals. Use music to find a flow. Ignore my advice and find what works best for you. It's hard to write with the constant barrage of horrifying news: protesters disappearing in Hong Kong, protesters attacked by police in the US, a rash of lynchings dismissed as suicide, politicization of a deadly…

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The Style of The Expanse

TLDR: The Expanse authors manage to plan their novels and stay true to their characters. I recently started reading Babylon's Ashes, the sixth book in The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. I've been taking long breaks between The Expanse novels, but jumping back in,…

Endings that Pop

TLDR: At best, that ending moment in which the tide turns for the protagonist is a simple action, obvious in hindsight, with profound consequences. This post is eventually going to contain major spoilers for Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker as well as Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. I'll warn you again when I get…

Expansion and Compression

TLDR: Revision (and small scale editing) is a process of  expansion/embellishment and compression/cutting. The last two weeks I've talked about the Snowflake Method, essentially addressing high level planning and revision, but suppose you have written your story, ironed out logical inconsistencies, and your characters' motivations are clear. In that case it's time for the nitty…

Review: The White-Luck Warrior

TLDR: R. Scott Bakker's fiction is out of this world. Someone said that the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. Well I'm on to you Bakker. It says on the inside jacket that you study philosophy and ancient languages. Lucky for you I don't have time or inclination for those subjects.…