Tag Archives: the craft of writing

On “casting” while you write. Or not.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

by Laura Anne Gilman When I first started out in this biz, I heard a lot of writers talking about “casting” their books, and researching for visuals (typically actors, but not always) as part of their research prep. And this … Continue reading →


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Posted in Inspiration, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Don’t Know, Can’t Care

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

by Laura Anne Gilman Yesterday, someone asked me what the on-spec manuscript I’ve been working on, was. My answer: a story. No, they said, what kind of story? With words, and characters, and Stuff Happening and their world changing, even if The … Continue reading →


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Posted in Publishing, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bopping Among Genres

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

People wonder why I write pop culture books and (now) new adult paranormals in addition to dark/weird fiction. It is a wide array. Re books, I have thrillers, pop science, pop culture, young adult fantasies, horror, dark/weird fiction, and science fiction. Re … Continue reading →


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Posted in fantasy, horror, Lois Gresh, paranormal romance, science fiction, Writers on Writing, Writing life | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On Being a Professional Amateur #1

Posted on February 13, 2013 by

To be an amateur in the original sense of the word simply means to do something for love, though our culture has added the rider, “not for pay.” An amateur writer, then, is generally taken to mean one who’s not … Continue reading →


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Posted in Writers on Writing | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

All Beginnings Great and Small
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Posted on January 30, 2013 by

I’m fascinated by beginnings. That is, the first words that fall into a reader’s brain when she opens up a book. Not all stories have evocative openings. I was fascinated to realize that some of my favorite novelists do not, … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Argo: A Very Short Review

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

By Brenda Clough  Since Argo is up for some major awards, it seems worthy of mention here.  I enjoyed this movie tremendously, because I was a Foreign Service brat in that period.  I lived in crummy third-world countries while military coups went on, and was bussed … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film, Reviews, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

One Day in the Life: Horse Farm Edition

Posted on November 26, 2012 by

Part of what makes a good story better is the mastery of detail–the sense that the writer really gets what she’s writing about, and that for everything she puts in, there’s a whole world of information behind it. If you’re … Continue reading →


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Posted in Animals, horses, Lifestyle, Writers on Writing, Writing life | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Winter Is Here

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

It’s that time of year on the old homestead: the often drastic change of seasons, when it’s 90F/32C on Wednesday and 32F/0C by Sunday morning. Even in regions where the range isn’t quite so dramatic, there’s still a point at … Continue reading →


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Posted in Animals, horses | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Horse Doctor is IN

Posted on October 29, 2012 by

In the last Horseblog I talked in general about lame horses and the crazy-making process of figuring out what, where, how, and what to do about it. Now we can get specific. This is a low-tech, simple and traditional way … Continue reading →


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Posted in Animals, horses, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Eternal Mystery of the Lame Horse

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

A horse is an accident waiting to happen. Put a large flight animal in a domesticated setting, surround him with walls and fences, ask him to suppress millions of years of evolution and instinct in order to cope with his … Continue reading →


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Posted in Animals, horses | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments