J.D. Moyer

sci-fi author, beatmaker

Category: Writing Page 7 of 18

Word Craft #2: Daniel M. Bensen

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On January 18

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

Daniel Bensen’s science fiction novel Junction was just released on January 10th (Flame Tree Press). I can relate to Daniel because my wife is also my first and best reader. I can’t relate to Daniel because I never “draw little pictures of where everyone is and how they move around” (though I’m intrigued by the idea).

I hope you enjoy Word Craft #2! I plan on continuing the series with at least one post a month (in addition to my other content).

-J.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an English teacher and I live in Sofia Bulgaria with my family in the Balkan Tower of Matriarchy. Ruled by my wife’s grandmother on the 1st floor, the Tower of Matriarchy stretches four stories into the air and five generations into filial insanity. We go through a ton of yogurt, and you could eat the drama with a spoon, but there’s always someone when you need them.

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Word Craft #1: Catherine Cavendish

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On January 8

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

I’m starting a new series on this blog: Word Craft – A Deep Dive Into Writers’ Methods and Practices. I’m fascinated by how writers write — processes are more varied than you might guess — and this interview series is an opportunity to see how other authors practice their craft (and to borrow their best techniques).

My first guest is fellow Flame Tress Press author Catherine Cavendish. Welcome Catherine!

-J.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.

I live near Liverpool in Britain although I was actually born in Hereford. I have had a varied career which has taken me from advertising and sales through to vocational guidance and helping people of all ages and from all walks of life to get jobs and embark on new careers. These days I am lucky enough to be a full time writer of horror – mainly of the supernatural, ghostly, Gothic kind.

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Some of My Favorite Writing Advice

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On December 13

In Fiction Writing, Writing

I’m a collector. I’m convinced there’s a gene for it. As a child I collected stamps, coins, and fantasy miniatures (one of those collections continues into adulthood). In addition to various small items, I collect information in various categories.

My favorite collecting category writing advice. I keep a vast spreadsheet of advice and “writing rules” from my favorite authors.

Here are a few highlights from that collection:

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2018 Awards Eligibility

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On November 19

In Creative Work/Career, Writing

Nominations are now open for the 2018 Nebula Awards, for SFWA members (including Associate members). This post lists my fiction eligible for the 2018 awards, and includes reading links. If you read and enjoy a story, please consider nominating it (I can’t nominate my own fiction, nor can the publishers).

I’ll write a follow-up post in a few weeks about the fiction I’ll be nominating myself — lots of great choices this year.

2018 Nebula and Hugo Eligible Fiction

Novel category

The Sky Woman (Flame Tree Press)
“wonderfully entertaining debut novel” – Compelling Science Fiction
amazon link
audible link
SFWA member forum link (Ch.1-2)

Novelette category

The Icelandic Cure (Omnidawn)
“a strong, thoughtful story that inspires hope for the future” – Publisher’s Weekly
amazon link
SFWA member forum link

Short Story category

The Equationist (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
“emotionally affecting and thought-provoking” – SF Crow’s Nest
SFWA member forum link
Purchase back issue

Targeted Behavior (Compelling Science Fiction)
read online for free

Money in the Tortoise (Intergalactic Medicine Show)
IGMS subscription link
SFWA member forum link

Plastic Eater (sfreader.com)
read online for free

Boosting Word Counts – November Productivity Test

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On October 22

In Creative Work/Career, Fiction Writing, Lifestyle Experiments, Writing

I’m in awe of authors who can crank out 5-10K words a day. And there are a lot of them out there. To achieve my own writing goals, I don’t necessarily need to achieve those heroic word counts. But I would like to bump up my productivity significantly.

Ideally, I’d like to consistently write at least 5000 thousand words a week. While that’s an order of magnitude less than many writers, those words still add up. If I can keep that pace up for at least ten months, I’m at 200K words per year. That’s a couple of novel’s worth, or four novellas, or forty short stories, or some combination thereof. (Of course, many of those words will end up deleted, or archived forever, so there’s something to be said for surplus words.)

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