dawn.vogel | February 12, 2018
At Foolscap earlier this month, I got to take part in a workshop called “Them’s Fightin’ Words,” which was a workshop about writing combat. This is one of my known weaknesses as a writer–I don’t enjoy reading combat scenes, which means I’m awful at writing them. And while I can get away with just writing […]
dawn.vogel | February 5, 2018
Finding a good, inspirational place where you can get writing done is a dream of many authors. For me, I’d love a place with an inspiring view like this. Some trees so it’s nice and shaded, and water in the distance–this is basically my dream porch! Sadly, while I have a window that looks out […]
dawn.vogel | January 29, 2018
Because I was nearly done with a couple of stories at the end of the year, which I finished early into 2018, I’m currently in a position where I’m starting lots of new stories rather than revising completed stories. It means that my brain is in overdrive working out all of the details, figuring out […]
dawn.vogel | January 22, 2018
While at Rustycon recently, Jeremy and I were on a panel about self-publishing. We also met with an author who is considering self-publishing his book. One of the topics that came up in both instances was the types of editing, the order they happen in, and the importance of each. The first step, prior to […]
dawn.vogel | January 8, 2018
Soon, I start working on my next novel. It’s always an adventure to start in on a new book, even though I’ve got my outline firmly in hand. But even though my rational brain tells me that whatever I put on paper first doesn’t have to be a super clever opening line, my emotional brain […]
dawn.vogel | December 25, 2017
Sometimes, more than anything else, writers just need to write undisturbed. This is definitely the case for me. I have giant noise-cancelling headphones that I love, and those are my subtle “do not disturb” sign. But then there are times when that’s not an option. At work, I have to listen for the phones, so […]
dawn.vogel | December 18, 2017
Writers often have a lot of projects to keep track of. And while there are a lot of different ways to keep track of those projects, I’ve recently become a big fan of paper planners. (Though I still keep My Giant Spreadsheet of Doom too.) With my paper planner, I can keep notes on the […]
dawn.vogel | December 11, 2017
Many writers are fueled by caffeine. I’m not one of them, but I still appreciate a good coffee mug for my tea. Or milk (with cookies). Or, sometimes, a mixed drink. If you’ve got a fueled-by-caffeine-or-other-beverages writer in your life, a mug can be a great gift. Especially one as cute as this one from […]
dawn.vogel | December 4, 2017
There are many books about writing available, and every writer has some that they like better than others. If you’re looking for some books to buy an aspiring writer who may not have already picked out some favorites, check these out! Jumpstart Your Novel by Mark Teppo. This is my go-to book for outlining novels, […]
dawn.vogel | November 27, 2017
I did my first National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) in November 2009. I won that year, in that I wrote 50,000 words. But have those words ever seen the light of day again? Nope. After that year, I attempted NaNoWriMo six more times. I only won one additional time, though The Trouble with the […]
