Tag Archives: #authorlife

And now, something for you….

I publish books under the imprint Seamus and Nunzio Productions, LLC. That name came from my older brother’s reaction to the maternity ward picture of my twin sons, who turn 20 this weekend. To celebrate, we are doing a free … Continue reading

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When the Babies Arrive

You’ve written and rewritten and rewritten your novel. Gotten beta readers and proofreaders to go through it, maybe copy editors and lime editors if you’re able. Everything that can be done has been done. Cover have been designed, tweaked, polished, … Continue reading

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Making it Suck Less: Rewriting is the Key to Success

So we’ve explored ways to get your story out of your head and onto the computer screen. We’ve agreed to quit worrying and let it suck (for now) and we’ve got ourselves a draft. Now what? Well, some of us … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: To Write Better Dialogue, Listen to Craig Ferguson (revisited)

Pulling some of my previous blogs into the “let it suck” series. This one borrows simple advice from a great comedian to help you with character dialogue. Here we go: Every fiction author wants to write great dialogue. While there … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: What Would Your Character Do?

We’ve agreed to “let it suck” on first draft, yes? Just let it rip with the writing and get a draft completed. And we’ve been discussing ways to find and refine your work during rewrite.  Now let’s let the character … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: revisiting “Write Better With Character Profiles”

As part of the “Let It Suck” series of posts, I wanted to discuss how knowledge of your characters informs writing decisions, and this post seems crucial to include, so I am reprinting it as a companion to this week’s … Continue reading

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Let it suck series: Setting up setting

Elmore Leonard famously advised writers to “try to avoid the parts that readers skip”. This is a definite risk when it comes to describing where your characters are, so listen to the master when dealing with setting. I tend to … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: overwrite the scene, then pick up the scalpel

As we move beyond the blank screen and into our efforts as writers, we need to deal with scene work. The conventional wisdom is “enter the scene as late as possible and leave as soon as you can”, and I … Continue reading

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Let it suck revisited: the beginning of a series

Awhile back, I wrote the following blog, which basically advised people to push beyond fears about instant quality in writing and just “let it suck.“ I reprint it here as the beginning of a series of blog posts that focus on … Continue reading

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The Power of “What If”?

Writing is an optimistic enterprise. Even the most cynical writer, the one who believes everyone is corrupt and the world is doomed, if that person still writes, s/he proves hope is alive. If that person truly believes nothing matters, why … Continue reading

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