One of the things I say to aspiring authors is that the number one reason a writer never sees publication is that they don’t finish that first draft. The thing is, first drafts are ugly. They’re universally terrible. Anyone who says they’re a one-draft writer either has no sense of quality control, or they’re lying.Continue reading “A Tale of Three Prototypes”
Tag Archives: Writing
An Interview with Toby Virgo Recently I had the pleasure of taking the Real Sherlock Holmes walking tour of Edinburgh. If you didn’t know, Edinburgh was Arthur Conan Doyle’s hometown. He lived not far from the town centre, and there’s a plaque at the University of Edinburgh medical school honouring him as the doctor forContinue reading
In Defense of Comfort Reading
Originally published in Red Herrings, the Newsletter of the Crime Writers Association The cosy mystery gets a lot of hate these days. Modern cosies tend to be like popcorn: light, tasty, but ultimately insubstantial. The writing can be workmanlike and slapdash. But the most common criticism, in my experience, is that the stories are superficial,Continue reading “In Defense of Comfort Reading”
The Life-Changing Magic of Ignoring “I Don’t Wanna”
A lot of us overestimate our need for a breather, and overestimate the necessary magnitude of that breather. To our detriment.
Jess Faraday 