We Write!
by Chris McMahon Hi, everyone. I am on holidays at the moment, out of reach of the internet for the next three weeks - yep it's back to pen and paper:) In the mean time here is a sneak preview of The Calvanni. I will post Chapter 1, followed by the first half of Chapter... Continue Reading →
The time has come to take a look at the art and craft of characterization. This probably seems weird, since characterization is one of the things pantsers tend to get "free" - but getting it and writing it well aren't the same thing. It's worth reading up about what makes a good character and learning... Continue Reading →
So, you’ve got all your ducks in a row. Unless your plot is about misaligned ducks. You’ve sent the pope for a swim. You’ve Heinleined your info. You’ve let go of what you can’t control. Your plot starts with action. You throw us in head first. Your middle sequence is a rising series of battles.... Continue Reading →
by Amanda S. Green As the year draws to an end, I've seen a lot of blog posts and news articles about the "Year in Review". I guess I could do one of those today but, frankly, I'd rather not. I've written all I could ever want to about the Borders bankruptcy and what locally... Continue Reading →
Well now, it's Boxing day (do Americans have boxing day?) the day after Christmas, so called because all the kids found out what their friends had got for Christmas pressies and gave them a sock in the jib... hey I make up stuff for a living. It's a more interesting theory than some to do... Continue Reading →
a Happy and Safe Holiday Weekend! The Mad Geniuses will return Monday. Until then, we're wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!
by Chris McMahon After working on novels for quite a while now, I found myself surprised by a the desire to write a new SF short. It got me thinking about the size of stories. Size is always an issue. For novels shorter is better for a first novel - some say even as low... Continue Reading →
Middles are often where pantsers have problems. There's several reasons for this, but the big one is that we pantsers usually know the immediate future of the story, and have an idea how it ends, but what happens in between is pretty vague. With me the problem manifests in false starts -- stories that I... Continue Reading →
Today is Winter Solstice. It is a time of the year I look forward to every year. You see, I’m photovoltaic – if I were a machine I’d work from solar cells – and tend to get very depressed every winter, as we reach the coldest, darkest days of the year. It seems like everything... Continue Reading →
by Amanda S. Green Over the last week or so, I've been watching the number of free and discounted e-books multiply by leaps and bounds. Part of it is the push by publishers leading up to Christmas. Legacy publishers might be mired in mud, but they recognize -- at least I think they do --... Continue Reading →
Mad Genius Club 