Upcoming books

Should have some good news to post very soon regarding the next few books. I will be updating the blog more frequently, and my next goal (along with working on the next novel) is to write a series of articles for the website on how I write books. Stay tuned.

Fear

I'm convinced that writer's block has more to do with fear than anything else. I remember someone in college telling me they had writer's block and they were waiting for inspiration so they could write. Most likely they were afraid to write. I've got news for you. If you wait for inspiration to strike, you won't get much written. I think we all worry that what we write won't be good enough to impress an editor or an agent or our beloved sainted mothers, or whoever. Or even worse, that we will somehow forget how to write and when we sit down to the page, our minds will turn to pudding.

It's all garbage, of course. Stop worrying about how good your idea is, or who you have to impress. And don't tell people that you can only write on Tuesday during a full moon, and only after you have prayed to the writing gods for inspiration. Write a sentence. Even if it's a bad one. Follow with another. And do you really think you'll forget how to do it? Does a carpenter forget how to swing a hammer? Does a quarterback forget how to throw the bomb? Of course not. Now go write.

Waiting

Currently waiting to hear back from my agent, who is waiting to hear back from Kensington on the next book. It is titled The Unforgiven, and if all goes well, it should be out early 2007.

Also wrote a short story for a Buffalo News contest. The News supplies a paragraph, which must appear in the text, and the goal is to write a mystery around it. It could only be 1500 words, so it was good practice in cutting unnecessary description and exposition.

Good Reads

Just finished reading Red by Jack Ketchum. Highly recommended. Also read Endless Night by Richard Laymon. Both great reads. For aspiring writers, I would also recommend Laymon's A Writer's Tale. It's a great inside look at not only his creative process, but his experiences in the publishing world. There is some insightful info on how he works through a novel, plots, etc. Also a great look at turning an incident into a short story. The book is hard to find. For anyone in the Western New York area, the Buffalo and Erie County Library has a copy of it (signed, no less).

What are some of your good reads lately?

Welcome!

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