When I was a kid, stories were short. We read short stories in class. Novels were short. Series were rare, and those tended to deposit the main characters back to ground zero, exactly as television did. Since there was no … Continue reading
Tag Archives: the writing life
Ink Dance: Essays on the Writing Life A cup of inspiration, a dash of understanding, a bouquet of wisdom for writers new and old. From the desk of writer and editor Deborah J. Ross comes a collection of warm, insightful … Continue reading
So tomorrow, August 7th, is a writing anniversary of sorts. Twenty years ago on that date, I signed my first professional contract. It was a three-book deal, for Code of Conduct—written but not yet edited—and the books that became Rules … Continue reading
I’ve suffered some disappointments this last week. Well, one major one that also hits the pocketbook. An academic gig I thought I had fell through. I thought I’d been offered the job, actually, but apparently I was mistaken. Anyhow, it’s … Continue reading
It was January of 1987 when I decided to make professional publication my goal. I’d completed one novel, which still has never sold (and shouldn’t ever see the light of day,) and on that dreary winter afternoon I began another. … Continue reading
Verse 7: And my name is on the cover of my book. Yes, my name is on the cover of my book. Although I hate to tell it, the publisher misspelled it, but my name is on the cover of … Continue reading
There’s a dragon on the cover of the book. There’s a dragon on the cover of the book. He is long and green and scaly, but he’s nowhere in the tale. He is a dragon on the cover of the … Continue reading
Z is for Zephyr. Zephyr is the west wind, a light wind, one that has traditionally been considered the most mild and favorable. Your writing career is beset with winds of change. … Continue reading
To celebrate having an honest-to-God bimbo on the cover of a book—one who was specifically designed to be there, I’m rerunning the Bimbo series from 2011, which takes a humorous and sometimes terrifying look at the things that end up … Continue reading
Y is for You. You’ve now had a chance to read twenty-four essays about writing. You’ve had the opportunity to answer questions about every topic, organizing your personal thoughts. … Continue reading