I went through files and files and files this last weekend in a crazed effort to organize my writing as if this will fix all my problems. Well, the problems remain, but I do now know that I have 124 short stories. Thank you, Story-a-Day! Or curse you as the case may be. The stories …
Look at all those pages. They contain time-travelers, demons, wayward teens, psychopaths, dragons, and other mad adventurers. They're all clamoring for their stories to be finished. I've made this commitment to them before and then been lured off the path by even more shiny tales of the heartbroken, the daring, and the wicked. So here …
Sometimes terrible news distracts me from my writing. I don't mean terrible news affecting me directly, but nightmares visited upon friends, acquaintances, or strangers. You might think that working so much with words meant you had just the right words for any situation. I don't find this to be the case. We have many stories …
Last week I watched a storm across this lake. The wind chopped up the water and heat lightning cracked in the distance. I stood in the grass, barefoot, and with people important to me. Most of the time, Florida brims over with bugs, humidity, and evil-intent. It reminds me of things I want to forget …
It's Tuesday again, so here we are. I'm going to be writing a query letter this weekend. If you don't know how, plenty of websites, articles, and podcasts will explain it. Somehow it still feels impossible. I have to summarize my novel's plot and make it sound irresistible. I've read that if you can write …
Bright spots do shine in the world. What is a bright spot for you these days? I read too much news and feel we're very much in darkness. But as Dumbledore reminds us, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” How does one …
If you had time, I'd ask you to read all my manuscripts and tell me which one is the best. It feels like an insanely important decision, except it isn't, is it? I have too many choices. It was easy when only one novel had been written. As a kid I had elaborate systems to …
I want to write about a time traveler who travels through time and space. I have a beginning for such a story but not much else. Who is your favorite time traveler? Mine, in case you don't know (in which case you're new around here), is the Doctor. I like all the Doctors, by the …
A while back, a friend and fellow writer, Tammy Breitweiser, brought llamas into my life, specially on Tuesdays. Did you know llamas are having a moment? Well, apparently they are, and while my heart will always belong to the unicorns, llamas are cool too. They must be. Just look at them! So, thanks to some …
The other day a woman told me she loved to read. I asked the obvious, "What sort of books do you like reading?" "Things that are real," she replied. I decided not to tell her I'm a writer. I did ask her about specific books she liked and we had a good conversation about good …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 