Back when I was a kid - and dear $DEITY that feels so wrong because while the calendar says I'm over 50 and the body says I'm over 50 what's inside doesn't seem anything like that far gone - I thought it had to be good to be an adult. You didn't have all those... Continue Reading →
It’s a Cover Up I
Most indie authors have rolled, with relative ease, into hiring content editors and even copyeditors, (just don't put either under "editor" on amazon. That editor tag on Amazon is for anthologies. You also shouldn't put your cover artist under "illustrator." Before I figured out that clueless authors were doing that, I passed up a bunch... Continue Reading →
More on plagiarism
Good morning, all. I'm going to take the easy way out this morning and go back to my first role at MGC, that of pointing out interesting stories and linking to them. The reason is simple. First, I believe this is an issue we should all be aware of, whether we are writers, readers or... Continue Reading →
A day short and a dollar late
Image by 7854 on Pixabay The short story, once the absolute heart of the sf writer’s career has long since dwindled off to become so irrelevant that many a successful author never writes one, and certainly many (me included) never sold one prior to selling a novel. There is very little money in shorts these... Continue Reading →
The story behind the story – Sakura: Intellectual Property
As readers, and as writers, we're all in this for a good story. And sometimes your fans want the story behind the creation of the story, or "the making of." Sometimes this is fun and cute, like the romance novelist who blocked when writing at home, and found her inspiration while waiting for an oil... Continue Reading →
Hitting the Restart Button
Just a couple of days before leaving for LTUE I finished the accidental novel. I'd set a mental goal of 'done before the con' and I was elated to get it finished, and off to beta readers, before I left on the trip. During the trip, beta comments trickled in. I love my readers, and... Continue Reading →
Plagiarism rears its ugly head again
This is why we need our readers to let us know when they see our books on pirate sites and when they suspect someone has plagiarized our work. We need to take a page from the playbooks of Courtney Milan and Nora Roberts who have had enough. Good for them. Check out Ms. Roberts thoughts... Continue Reading →
Artificial intelligence and the craft of writing
In his superb "Up the Organization" (probably the best book on business and management I've ever read, and one I like to re-read every year), Robert Townsend spoke of the "Man From Mars" approach. In solving a complex problem, pretend that you are a Martian. Assume that you understand everything about Man and his Society... Continue Reading →
The Stories We Aren’t Telling
During a recent attempt at mindless escapism I recently downloaded some collections of popular novels from roughly 1900-1920. As a supply of reading material it's worked out excellently (as long as I give myself permission to skip nine out of ten books). The escapism, though, failed with the very first book I read, by Mary... Continue Reading →
Of Practical Matters
I'm quite sure everyone here has managed to stumble across an anachronism so horrific it leaves you wondering what kind of idiot would write such tosh. It's like the Regency lady being divested of her bra and panties (yes, I have seen this. I promptly tried to eliminate the memory via a large quantity of... Continue Reading →
Mad Genius Club 