“I’d love to write, but I just can’t find the time!” How often have I heard those words — or said them myself? Writing does take time as well as […]
creative writing
Writing Process Blog Tour!
This week, I’m part of a Writing Process Blog Tour, where authors talk about their process and why they write what they write. At the end of this post, I’ll […]
On NOT Winning Awards
I just learned that DOWN THE OWLHOOT TRAIL didn’t win a Spur Award – that’s the Western Writers of America awards. I’d entered several of the short stories, and I’ll […]
WikiAnswers
As some of you know, I’m also an Answers.com supervisor, over at WikiAnswers.com. My categories include “Learning Tips and Study Habits,” “Idioms and Slang,” and — of course! — “Creative […]
5 Tips for Anthologies
Got word of a new anthology coming out in the Wolf Creek series – they’ve thrown open the submissions to anyone within the Western Fictioneers, so I’m going to see […]
10 Basics for Writing Success
I’ve been writing for nearly thirty years now, and I think that qualifies me to give out a little advice. Here are a few of the tips and tricks I’ve […]
A New Year
“Today is the first page of a 365-page book — write a good one.” Didn’t get a source for that quote, but I saw it floating around the internet yesterday […]
Read Your Way to Good Writing
There are a lot of “You know you’re a writer when–” sayings out there. You’ve all seen them. There’s one more you might not have seen: You know you’re a […]
Naming Your Characters
Once you’ve created that perfect character, you have to name him or her. This can be a challenge to many writers, especially once you’ve gotten a few hundred characters on […]
Advice from the Tony Hillerman Conference
I’ve spent a lovely three days hob-nobbing with other authors and attending writing panels. Here are some gems from the classes. The day I stop learning about my characters is […]