Tag: writing

Once more into the breach

A while back I discussed a variety of ideas for new projects with my agent, Ethan Ellenberg. There was one in particular he liked, which is tentatively titled Masks. It’s a YA fantasy, and since he’s anxious to see some sample chapters, I’ve plunged into it. Here’s how it begins: A week before her thirteenth …

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Bang! Bang! Bang!

I pride myself on being able to write anywhere, anytime, no matter how (BANG!) Have you ever noticed how distracting it can be to (BANG!) Every time we’ve had a thaw this winter, we’ve had leaks in our (BANG!) One of the joys of living in old houses is (BANG!) Shingles. They’re not just a …

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From Squid to Eternity

Margaret Atwood (in)famously referred to science fiction as “talking squids in outer space,” a remark to which I would take great umbrage if not for the fact that my DAW novel Lost in Translation contains a character, Karak, master of the Guild of Translators, described thusly:  Free of the watersuit and its exoskeleton, his shape was nothing …

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The thinking cap

[podcast]https://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/upLoads//2011/02/The-Thinking-Cap.mp3[/podcast] You know, it’s not easy being a writer. Oh, I know, it doesn’t rank up there with, say, coal miner in physical difficulty or neurosurgeon in mental difficulty, but where it probably has it over both of them is in creative difficulty: the pressure to constantly come up with something new. Heck, as a …

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Blue Fire or bust

Those who have followed my occasional series “The First Sentence I Wrote Today,” a.k.a. on Twitter as TFSIWT, will know that I have been working, interminably, on a young adult fantasy novel called Blue Fire. I’ve written it. I’ve re-written it. I’ve re-re-written it. It first came in at a ridiculous length, so I chopped …

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I’ve been a bad blogger…

…by not posting regularly this week as I did last, but although I was a bad little blogger, I was a good little writer. See, Twist of the Blade, the sequel to Song of the Sword, and the second book in my brand-new YA fantasy series Shards of Excalibur, is in the revision stage. And …

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Twist of the Blade synopsis

I don’t think I’ve posted this; maybe I have, but in that case, well…here it is again. It’s the description of Twist of the Blade, Book 2 of the Shards of Excalibur, as included in Song of the Sword. No time for more this morning since I’m desperately trying to finish revisions to, yes, Twist …

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I wish I were James Lileks

Who, you may ask? If so, well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Go here, and explore. I’ll wait. <thumb-twiddling>Dum-de-dum-de-dum-de-dum.</thumb-twiddling> Back? OK, now I’ll explain. I discovered Lileks several years ago now, when someone pointed to the original Interior Desecrators portion of his website, where he made hilarious fun of the horrible …

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What’s in a name?

It’s not exactly a secret, since I’ve been telling everyone everywhere for some time, but my next book from DAW, the fantasy novel Magebane, will not be appearing under the name Edward Willett, but under a pseudonym, Lee Arthur Chane. This is a first for me, though it’s pretty common; some writers have several pen …

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Sunset over Howe Sound, West Vancouver, B.C.

The Ninety-Nine Rule

Ever hear of the Ninety-Nine Rule? Formulated by Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, it goes like this: “The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time. The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other 90 percent of the development time.” Humorously, that adds up …

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And we’re off! 2011 and beyond…

So…Happy New Year! If you’re going to build readership on a blog, you have to post regularly. Everyone knows that. I know it; you know it. And periodically I’ve attempted it, never with any great success. But you know what? Hope springs eternal, and with the start of a new year, I’ve got another chance …

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The Space-Time Continuum: Defining My Terms

When I was a high school debater, in the dim, distant past, I always began debates by defining my terms. So let me begin this new regular column in Freelance the same way: by defining what I’m going to be talking about. I’m going to be focusing in this column on what is referred to …

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