Alright, I'm going to try to do this update in one post instead of splitting it across because Wordpress has been more cooperative with me recently. I haven't been posting many updates here, but progress

This is an extension from a previous section of a post on the second try I'm undertaking to write a million words in a year. Since WordPress seems to hate excessively long posts, I've split them up. You

Update: Technical difficulties delayed this post. I am now at 338,647 words as of April 14. At the time of writing, it is March 31, 2022. I am just under a quarter of the way through my “year of a million

The temple is quiet when I arrive. Nobody stirs in the courtyard. I look around before I enter, but nothing stands out to me. All the waking rituals are complete, and the priests are busy going about their

I wake to someone pounding on the door. “Zefra? Zefra?” It’s Hanun’s voice. He’s desperate. As I get to my feet, I realize I must have been in rough shape last night. My coat’s still draped around me.

The nightmare always bothers me. If it were any god but Akkun– It is dangerous to ignore the god of dreams in his own domain. I pull the bolt back from my door. It feels strange to have a lock, but it’s

Recently, I was watching some of the old Star Wars movies when they were on TV, and I noticed that there seems to be one place in particular where the series has a problem–one that I call the Tatooine

Every night, the same dream. “Who are you?” “I am Zefra.” “And what do you do?” “I am a shrine keeper in the city of Ehram.” “And are you virtuous?” This is how the gods judge the dead. I know it well.

This is going to be a short, not entirely ordinary, post. I fell off the radar last year when a few things changed. I got a job, a regular job, and I really loved it. My writing goal for the year was a

I've been somewhat quiet of late because I'm deciding on how I want to handle my public brand going forward. When I was working on my MFA, this site and blog were a part of the program. I didn't need to

I won't lie. It's not looking good for me. I spent most of April working on finishing up my MFA program, then immediately hit a wall with regards to my capacity to keep up writing. The consequence of this

Storytelling is a complicated art. Perfection lies in nuances, and there's a lot to think about. But crafting an epic first act for a story or novel is within anyone's grasp, so long as they understand

As a writer, one of the biggest challenges I face is explaining why I write what I do. This often comes up because of what I call the secrets of genre. I write speculative fiction, but if I sit down to

For the month of April, I’m going to be doing something different for Fiction Fridays. Normally, I try to upload a piece of writing each week. I’m not great about that, but it’s more or less worked out.

What makes readers interested in fantasy stories? Where does the power of fantasy live? How can we harness it as writers? We know what fantasy "is" but not why it has the conventions it does. Today I'm

Figuring out characters is tough for writers. You need a plot to tell a story, but without sympathetic characters the whole thing falls apart. You need to consider not just your protagonist and antagonist,

I've written almost 100,000 words since my last update, and it's been a little less than a month. In fact, if I'd waited a few days I would have hit the 100,000 word mark, but I want to keep these updates

For the month of April, I'm going to be doing something different for Fiction Fridays. Normally, I try to upload a piece of writing each week. I'm not great about that, but it's more or less worked out.

Writing isn't something to scoff at. It's an endeavor and requires the respect due any craft. Even those of us who have made a habit of it need to respect it. When you do it right, you change the world.

The new Marn stretched. It felt constrained in ways it couldn't explain. The new body was a restriction. But it was necessary for its purpose. It ran its hand along the spires, looking for the connection