Artists: Walter Crane
I love to go to art museums to new style ideas. On a recent trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), I visited the art nouveau section and saw a piece by English artist Walter Crane: Walter...
View Article1000 views!
Yesterday I hit 1000 views from 36 countries. I know this is small peanuts by some, but I’m so happy! Thanks to everyone who had stopped by this blog. I look forward to supplying more topics of...
View ArticleHappy New Year!!
My (creative) goals for next year: get at least one story published for pay, and get one of the books picked up. Here’s to another year of learning and advancing!
View ArticleGreat kids books, great sources of inspiration
Whenever I go to a museum, I like to look at the kids book section. Often times, there are several really engaging and pretty books relevant to the museum’s collection. They’re often more fun and...
View ArticleThe Joy of Maps
I love maps. Not the ones that are useful, really. The decorative ones, or the ones that accompany a novel. The useful ones have a sort of dryness to them. I was never a big Tolkien fan, but I liked...
View ArticleLearning about Graphic Novels and Publishing from Barbara Slate
As I mentioned in Monday’s post, I attended a talk by comic book writer Barbara Slate (at the VA Book Fest). She was one of the first female comic book writers, and has since branched out to her own...
View ArticleSources of Sci-Fi Inspiration: City Culture of Prague
Setting is a critical element to most stories. It frames the actions of the characters and provides a rich and interesting backdrop. Often the environment motivates the character. As most portraits of...
View ArticleHappy 16th Anniversary, Vironevaeh!
Sixteen years ago I first started writing about Vironevaeh, the extraterrestrial city that is the namesake for this website. In middle school I was that kid– I told everyone who would listen that I was...
View ArticleWriting: Maintaining Enthusiasm
Last week I started headlong into an attempt to write my first novel. This is not my first time trying to write novel, but another attempt to finish one. I suspect this isn’t an uncommon problem. It...
View ArticleWriting: engineer style!
As I’ve mentioned a few times, I am currently trying to write a novel. It’s a lot of writing, and I have something of a history of starting and stopping projects. So I’m happy to report that I am still...
View ArticleWhy I’m doing National Novel Writing Month
This year I am doing National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the first time, in which you write 50,000 words in a month. I am also writing my PhD thesis (137 pages so far!), which must be done...
View ArticleWriting prompt: “He tore off another sheet of paper and threw it in the bin”
Time: 7 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “He tore off another sheet of paper and threw it in the bin” He tore off another sheet of paper and threw it in the bin. “This just isn’t...
View ArticleToday I sold my first story
Today I sold my first fiction story. It’s hard to express my thoughts and feelings. I will keep working hard, and I will eventually sell more, but today I am elated. Below are some musings and...
View ArticleWriting prompt: “Magic Tea”
Time: 7 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “Magic Tea” “Here, drink this, dear,” the old hag said. The darkened growth on her nose shook. “You don’t want to come down with anything.” Leo...
View ArticleWriting prompt: the tissue printer
Time: 8 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “The printer” I loaded the file into the printer and made sure all the print cartridges were full—nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon… Carbon and...
View ArticleWriting Prompt: Monkey Day
Time: 5 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “Monkey Day” (This is actually a real thing, every December 14) Today was Monkey Day, the biggest day of the year for the elevated chimps and...
View ArticleWriting Prompt: Cleaning the Lab
Time: 7 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “Cleaning the lab” Ash scowled at the mess sitting in front of her. What a mess decades of research could produce. Now, as the last student, it...
View ArticleWriting Prompt: Intrigue and Alchemy
Time: 10 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. This prompt led to my short story “The Alchemist’s Contract“, which appeared in Swords and Sorcery Magazine in November 2013. “Intrigue and...
View ArticleWriting prompt: night at the pool
Time: 7 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “Night at the pool” She awoke at the pool. Agh, she must have fallen asleep again. Not good. The burns from last time had taken a week to go...
View ArticleWriting prompt: unexplored wilderness
Time: 7 minutes. Click here to go to my list of prompts. “Unexplored wilderness” The sweat dribbled down Aaron’s back. The containment suit was unbearable and yet necessary. The lush jungle spread...
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