The title of this post is based on the title of the book "October the First Is Too Late", by Fred Hoyle. One of the many books of my late grandfather's which I read many years in the past, and thoroughly enjoyed. One of the books responsible for the fact I now write primarily in the genre of science fiction. It is also possibly partially responsible for my interest in science-y things in general. However, this post is not about it being too late. This post is specifically about the fact ... View Post
Bait, Fish, and Reel Report for June 2013
Running just a little behind this month! Blame a looming fiction contest deadline! O_o But we'll get to that in a minute. First, let me see if I can get all this sorted out! Someone once said that to be a successful and productive writer, one had to do the equivalent of “cutting bait, fishing, and reeling ‘em in, all at the same time”! This translates to writing as working on projects-in-progress while at the same time submitting completed projects to potential markets and also continuing ... View Post
Professional Feedback Round #2: "Cheetah on the Roof"
This weekend I attended the New Letters Writing Conference at UMKC as a noncredit "student". After having just attended both the RT Booklovers Convention and the writing panels at KC, MO's ConquesT 44 science fiction convention, this very-much-more-structured and heavily literary conference was something of a... um... well, completely and utterly different world, lol - although it ended up being just as helpful and informational. But I'll get into that in another post. The purpose of this ... View Post
11 Most Important Revelations for My Writing Life (and Sanity)
You don't have to tell readers everything. Not only should you avoid info-dumping your poor readers in the beginning of the story, you should avoid info-dumping your readers AT ALL TIMES. Remember - bring out world details through action and dialogue - NOT description and exposition! Sprinkle these tidbits throughout - icing is tasty, true, but good lord, no one wants a fist-sized glob of icing all at once! Even as the author, you don't have to know EVERYTHING about your own story. ... View Post
Writing Prompt Wednesday: Another excerpt from the novel!
Comments: Whoops! Almost entirely forgot that today was Wednesday! Today's snippet comes again from the novel-in-progress, a young adult fantasy entitled "Cheetah on the Roof". I almost told you who this conversation was between, but decided that instead I would love to hear who you infer these people to be from the conversation itself! Hope you enjoy! And thanks for reading! - JRF *** Arrelious smiled, looking up at him. “And what do you think became of Lua Mater, Loremaster?” “I’m still ... View Post
Writing Prompt Wednesday: A snippet from the novel!
Comments: Another snippet from the novel rough draft WIP, a young adult fantasy entitled "Cheetah on the Roof". Hope you enjoy!***“Why don’t you eat something?” Baba Yaga asked, and the bottom of the wooden bowl scraped against the scuffed tabletop as she pushed it toward Deanne, sloshing the contents within. Deanne shook her head, instinctively breathing through her mouth to avoid the smell of it, the steam rising off it’s still-bubbling surface to push against her face like a suffocating ... View Post
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