One of the conversations that came up during the Clarion Day Workshop was how critique groups sometimes become rule-based, and they start to develop lists of Things A Writer Shouldn't Do. A writer shouldn't use flashbacks because it slows the plot and confuses the reader. A writer shouldn't start a story with dialogue.
This is incomplete advice which leads to auto-pilot critique and writing. The complete advice is There Are Things A Writer Shouldn't Do Poorly. For example, poor flashback use will confuse a reader, but skillful use of it will make a story work.
The take-away reminder is that a skillful writer can break the rules.
Another gem of advice that I was reminded about was how good writing is like walking on a narrow plank. My personal plank is the details plank: fall off it one way, and the story is buried what I call Tolkien Sclerosis; fall off the other way and the reader can't see the scene on the page or gets confused because the writer has assumed knowledge on the reader's part. One other dichotomy was when to use internal exposition verses character dialog to bring a reader up to speed about the story's situation. Go too far one way, and the characters are having flashbacks in the middle of sword fights; go to far the other way and the characters are having "as you know, Bob" dialog.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Post Clarion Mini-Workshop
I'm on the train after attending a Clarion one-day workshop on character.
What I learned.
1. I write slowly. I think I am editing in my head too much. The remedy for this is to not use the backspace key and instead hit return and recast the sentence the way I want it. Then go back and revise. I was blown away with how much good content people created in short amount of time.
2. It's common for science-fiction and fantasy writers to be good at world-building and writing plots, but not so good at writing characters. Insert "'Tolkien's Women' Essay Joke" here.
3. My particular approach to writing characters is to draw a picture of them, what they're wearing, and any objects or tools they may be using in the story. And then sort of fine-tune the character depiction with an increasing number of approximations. I need to supplement this method with a concisely written set of character traits, character goals, and author goals for the character so I'm not staring at a picture--instead of writing--trying to divine the character as if it were a tarot card. It will help when I'm returning to a manuscript later.
4. Good characterization is layered. Add the layers during revision. The most common writer errors are defaulting to the writer's vocabulary and observations, and having a character observe things because the plot demands it. During revision look at how word choice, character observation, a character's interpretation of observations, and character's vocabulary reveal character on a word by word basis.
So.
Practice, practice, practice. Which means discipline going to bed early so I can have discipline getting up extra early to have solid, consistent blocks of writing time.
What I learned.
1. I write slowly. I think I am editing in my head too much. The remedy for this is to not use the backspace key and instead hit return and recast the sentence the way I want it. Then go back and revise. I was blown away with how much good content people created in short amount of time.
2. It's common for science-fiction and fantasy writers to be good at world-building and writing plots, but not so good at writing characters. Insert "'Tolkien's Women' Essay Joke" here.
3. My particular approach to writing characters is to draw a picture of them, what they're wearing, and any objects or tools they may be using in the story. And then sort of fine-tune the character depiction with an increasing number of approximations. I need to supplement this method with a concisely written set of character traits, character goals, and author goals for the character so I'm not staring at a picture--instead of writing--trying to divine the character as if it were a tarot card. It will help when I'm returning to a manuscript later.
4. Good characterization is layered. Add the layers during revision. The most common writer errors are defaulting to the writer's vocabulary and observations, and having a character observe things because the plot demands it. During revision look at how word choice, character observation, a character's interpretation of observations, and character's vocabulary reveal character on a word by word basis.
So.
Practice, practice, practice. Which means discipline going to bed early so I can have discipline getting up extra early to have solid, consistent blocks of writing time.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Seattle Writing
It's 5:30 AM and I'm sitting on the Amtrak Cascades writing. Well, OK. Blogging. I'm on my way to a Clarion Workshop in Seattle. It's a short one-day session on Sunday that I'm hoping will help me think about characters more effectively.
The trip to Seattle should be fun, although the conductor has warned us that there's some sort of baseball game and that the (relatively) empty car will fill to capacity once we get to Tacoma. So I should probably write now while I have the luxury of a table to myself. (And while the wi-fi is still good.)
Linda, an old Reed Psychology friend, is planning to meet me at the station, and we'll catch up. I will try to connect with other Seattle friends at Olympic Pizza this evening.
The trip to Seattle should be fun, although the conductor has warned us that there's some sort of baseball game and that the (relatively) empty car will fill to capacity once we get to Tacoma. So I should probably write now while I have the luxury of a table to myself. (And while the wi-fi is still good.)
Linda, an old Reed Psychology friend, is planning to meet me at the station, and we'll catch up. I will try to connect with other Seattle friends at Olympic Pizza this evening.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Anxiety Elevator of the North
Last night I had a strange mashup of dreams.
What had started out as a kind of house inspection turned into a party and then a ritual. This involved me standing in a knee-deep circular pool of water and spinning like dervish.
Then.. At one point I was waiting for an elevator. Elevators in my dreams are usually bad things--they pulse up and down between floors after their doors open, which makes them difficult to enter or exit. Or they have difficulties getting to the top floor or the bottom floor; it's as if they have two floors they want to go to, two-and-a-half and nine-and-three-quarters. And there's always the possibility that they'll plunge to the bottom of the shaft at any moment.
This elevator was slightly different. It was more a personal lift. As the doors opened, a recorded female voice chimed, "Mind the gap." I should have been suspicious when the elevator floor, which was a square metal grate, was still inching up a little below the level of the corridor. I hopped in without thinking that this was a dream elevator. The elevator shaft was shiny metal and the metal grate sped up little. There were no buttons I could see on the inside, and square shaft was only about three feet wide.
Then it reached the end of the shaft. This was a kind of iron trap door. I had a second where I thought I might be smooshed between the door and grate, but I got it open. The trap door opened in the middle of a field. And the the platform grate kept going. The shiny metal shaft telescoped out of the ground with me looking out of the top.
I slid down the inside of the shaft before it fell over. I'm going to sidestep the obvious Freudian interpretation and say that this reminds me of the tarot card, "The Tower." Also, this was at the end of the ritual and it felt like some kind of earthy counterpoint to the watery dervish part earlier.
What had started out as a kind of house inspection turned into a party and then a ritual. This involved me standing in a knee-deep circular pool of water and spinning like dervish.
Then.. At one point I was waiting for an elevator. Elevators in my dreams are usually bad things--they pulse up and down between floors after their doors open, which makes them difficult to enter or exit. Or they have difficulties getting to the top floor or the bottom floor; it's as if they have two floors they want to go to, two-and-a-half and nine-and-three-quarters. And there's always the possibility that they'll plunge to the bottom of the shaft at any moment.
This elevator was slightly different. It was more a personal lift. As the doors opened, a recorded female voice chimed, "Mind the gap." I should have been suspicious when the elevator floor, which was a square metal grate, was still inching up a little below the level of the corridor. I hopped in without thinking that this was a dream elevator. The elevator shaft was shiny metal and the metal grate sped up little. There were no buttons I could see on the inside, and square shaft was only about three feet wide.
Then it reached the end of the shaft. This was a kind of iron trap door. I had a second where I thought I might be smooshed between the door and grate, but I got it open. The trap door opened in the middle of a field. And the the platform grate kept going. The shiny metal shaft telescoped out of the ground with me looking out of the top.
I slid down the inside of the shaft before it fell over. I'm going to sidestep the obvious Freudian interpretation and say that this reminds me of the tarot card, "The Tower." Also, this was at the end of the ritual and it felt like some kind of earthy counterpoint to the watery dervish part earlier.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Walking and Imagination
Yesterday our Matrix was in the car shop getting maintenance. Somehow in the thick of things, we added a few more things for the garage to do, and so I was without a car for a little longer than I thought.
The result was walking. About twenty-five blocks. Luckily, there wasn't too much rain. What usually takes about eight minutes to drive takes fifty walking. Since I wasn't being pampered by automotive technology, I had to purchase sustaining chocolate donuts to nibble on every three blocks.
Walking that distance reminded me of my Grandma Agnes. She was a farmstead girl in 1920, and she walked to school along an lumberjack trail and through a pasture holding a bull. I wonder what sort of thoughts went through her head as she walked--I imagine she had conversations with her dog, Sport, or any animals she might have encountered.
When I was walking the city blocks of southern Eugene, I was thinking about the various yard plantings and garden features (OK, and the next donut). It's easy to imagine stories attached to the differing houses. Why do those folks have a fancy gate across their driveway, and do the stars and moons mean anything? Is that a haunted house and what happened to the owners? In contrast, when I'm driving, I'm listening to the radio and imagining what on earth could be motivating the driver in front of me to be driving they way that they are.
Well... speedily arriving somewhere or exercising one's imagination. To quote the Baker's Wife from "Into the Woods," why can't it be both? With chocolate.
The result was walking. About twenty-five blocks. Luckily, there wasn't too much rain. What usually takes about eight minutes to drive takes fifty walking. Since I wasn't being pampered by automotive technology, I had to purchase sustaining chocolate donuts to nibble on every three blocks.
Walking that distance reminded me of my Grandma Agnes. She was a farmstead girl in 1920, and she walked to school along an lumberjack trail and through a pasture holding a bull. I wonder what sort of thoughts went through her head as she walked--I imagine she had conversations with her dog, Sport, or any animals she might have encountered.
When I was walking the city blocks of southern Eugene, I was thinking about the various yard plantings and garden features (OK, and the next donut). It's easy to imagine stories attached to the differing houses. Why do those folks have a fancy gate across their driveway, and do the stars and moons mean anything? Is that a haunted house and what happened to the owners? In contrast, when I'm driving, I'm listening to the radio and imagining what on earth could be motivating the driver in front of me to be driving they way that they are.
Well... speedily arriving somewhere or exercising one's imagination. To quote the Baker's Wife from "Into the Woods," why can't it be both? With chocolate.
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Trimming
I restored Scrivener after a computer crash. The crash wasn't too bad; I use DropBox to sync my files between two machines. One of the first things I did was print out an manuscript. I've been working on it off and on for a while. I'm more likely to notice problems whit a manuscript when it's printed out, and this one is no exception.
The main problem with this manuscript is that the opening is clunky. I think I wouldn't have noticed if the manuscript were on the screen. Looking at a paper manuscript, I saw where the story really begins. I think there's a writing rule is called "Chekov's Razor," which states that most writers can improve a story by cutting out the first three paragraphs or -- depending on the length of the piece -- pages. It applied to this story, which is now better.
The other day was a difficult one. Some days I just feel worthless and stuck. I don't know if I'm getting the wrong amount of sleep or I'm fighting off a cold. It turns out Mark has a bug, so maybe I'm fighting it off, too.
I was talking about how I had been writing more--getting up extra early to write. But then then I got sick and then Daylight Savings started and I fell off the writing wagon. Mark's reply was to offer to poke me a 4AM.
The main problem with this manuscript is that the opening is clunky. I think I wouldn't have noticed if the manuscript were on the screen. Looking at a paper manuscript, I saw where the story really begins. I think there's a writing rule is called "Chekov's Razor," which states that most writers can improve a story by cutting out the first three paragraphs or -- depending on the length of the piece -- pages. It applied to this story, which is now better.
The other day was a difficult one. Some days I just feel worthless and stuck. I don't know if I'm getting the wrong amount of sleep or I'm fighting off a cold. It turns out Mark has a bug, so maybe I'm fighting it off, too.
I was talking about how I had been writing more--getting up extra early to write. But then then I got sick and then Daylight Savings started and I fell off the writing wagon. Mark's reply was to offer to poke me a 4AM.
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Spring Update
I was doing so well this morning -- I managed to wake up before 6 AM, make some tea, and finish up a critique. Then I went to The Day Jobbe. This afternoon isn't going so well -- once again between little errands and lunch, I'm finding myself with little chunks of time that are akward. Somewhere between the phone ringing so a recording could try to sell me something and Scrivener suggesting a software upgrade, I realized that I wasn't going to get much done in the way of writing.
Last week I put the finishing touches on a short story that I'd like to send to Sword and Sorceress. It would be so cool to be in S&S. I guess we'll see. I'm resisting the urge to fiddle with the story, but I'll put it away for a bit and re-read it a few weeks before S&S opens and see if I like it as much as I do now.
The current short story I'm working on has been an off-again, on-again affair. I'm a little embarrassed by how long I've had it sitting around. I guess it's not that long a time, and I have gone on to some other projects. Still, there is a little voice in my head reminding me that a better practice would be to work on one thing at a time and finish projects once I start them.
In other writing news, I'm excited to be attending a Clarion one-day workshop in the middle of April. It's focusing on character development. I have about three stock characters that I seem to be re-writing (one who keeps showing up in my published stories), and I'd like to be able to write a variety. I tend to be strong in world-building, language, and in interesting ideas, but my characters don't seem to be as well fleshed out.
In other news, we hope to be adding a deck to the side of our house.
Last year we replaced a large window with a sliding glass door and spent the summer bouncing out of the house onto a small round trampoline. And into the house off of the trampoline. And in once case bouncing into the screen door instead of into the house.
We're looking forward to the deck. It will make going into the backyard easier--currently we have to troupe through the garage--and it will be nice to have an "extra" room.
Last week I put the finishing touches on a short story that I'd like to send to Sword and Sorceress. It would be so cool to be in S&S. I guess we'll see. I'm resisting the urge to fiddle with the story, but I'll put it away for a bit and re-read it a few weeks before S&S opens and see if I like it as much as I do now.
The current short story I'm working on has been an off-again, on-again affair. I'm a little embarrassed by how long I've had it sitting around. I guess it's not that long a time, and I have gone on to some other projects. Still, there is a little voice in my head reminding me that a better practice would be to work on one thing at a time and finish projects once I start them.
In other writing news, I'm excited to be attending a Clarion one-day workshop in the middle of April. It's focusing on character development. I have about three stock characters that I seem to be re-writing (one who keeps showing up in my published stories), and I'd like to be able to write a variety. I tend to be strong in world-building, language, and in interesting ideas, but my characters don't seem to be as well fleshed out.
In other news, we hope to be adding a deck to the side of our house.
Last year we replaced a large window with a sliding glass door and spent the summer bouncing out of the house onto a small round trampoline. And into the house off of the trampoline. And in once case bouncing into the screen door instead of into the house.
We're looking forward to the deck. It will make going into the backyard easier--currently we have to troupe through the garage--and it will be nice to have an "extra" room.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Friday Blessings
Today has been a wrong type of time day. It's frustrating because there are a bunch of things I have to do when I'd rather be doing something else. And my time is being cut up into inconveniently short bits.
Probably the most irritating is how my own geo-spacial impairment prompted me to turn right out of the dump (where I had been turned away with a load because I didn't have cash) thinking I could re-connect to the way I wanted to go and ended up in i-5 half-way to Skateworld instead of on Franklin Blvd. to go to a ATM.
I used the time on the roads to mutter "Bless you," at the other drivers. The advantage of muttering "Bless you," is that it doesn't contribute to my road rage. It's difficult to lose it when shouting (ooops, I mean muttering) "Bless you" calls to mind jokes about Southern wives going to charm school and young devout movie Christians angrily yelling, "I am filled to the BRIM with the healing love of Christ!"
And... another task is calling me.
Probably the most irritating is how my own geo-spacial impairment prompted me to turn right out of the dump (where I had been turned away with a load because I didn't have cash) thinking I could re-connect to the way I wanted to go and ended up in i-5 half-way to Skateworld instead of on Franklin Blvd. to go to a ATM.
I used the time on the roads to mutter "Bless you," at the other drivers. The advantage of muttering "Bless you," is that it doesn't contribute to my road rage. It's difficult to lose it when shouting (ooops, I mean muttering) "Bless you" calls to mind jokes about Southern wives going to charm school and young devout movie Christians angrily yelling, "I am filled to the BRIM with the healing love of Christ!"
And... another task is calling me.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Still No PANSTARRS
Monday night I tried to find comet PANSTARRS, but I was unable to see even the star Alpheratz, in the constellation of Virgo, much less the comet. Part of the difficulty is that we were in the city. And then there's things like the houses in the neighborhood. I really though the comet would be up far enough to be able to be seen.
On the plus side, I did manage to see the moons of Jupiter and our own moon. Also, Smokey apparently was an astronomer in a past life, as he spent about an hour hanging out with me as I swung Mark's telescope around trying to see an interplanetary evaporating snowball.
The clear(-ish) sky Monday night meant the night was clear. But the clarity didn't last. Tuesday morning dawned cloudy with a threat of rain. It's amazing to me how much sunlight makes a difference in how I feel. Monday and much of the weekend was very sunny and bright. Tuesday is drizzly and grey--a good day for hot chocolate.
Tuesday night the Wordos were displaced for a concert. Some of us met at a local Market of Choice and we worked on various stories. I spent the time going over critiqued drafts and marking changes on a master draft. I still need to re-write the end of the story to give it more sparkle; it's flat and passive right now.
On the plus side, I did manage to see the moons of Jupiter and our own moon. Also, Smokey apparently was an astronomer in a past life, as he spent about an hour hanging out with me as I swung Mark's telescope around trying to see an interplanetary evaporating snowball.
The clear(-ish) sky Monday night meant the night was clear. But the clarity didn't last. Tuesday morning dawned cloudy with a threat of rain. It's amazing to me how much sunlight makes a difference in how I feel. Monday and much of the weekend was very sunny and bright. Tuesday is drizzly and grey--a good day for hot chocolate.
Tuesday night the Wordos were displaced for a concert. Some of us met at a local Market of Choice and we worked on various stories. I spent the time going over critiqued drafts and marking changes on a master draft. I still need to re-write the end of the story to give it more sparkle; it's flat and passive right now.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tech Fail
Simplenote has failed me again. Somehow it's lost about an hour's worth of work. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but Simplenote will occasionally lose notes as if I'd never created them. It's happened enough times that I'm looking around for alternates. I don't know if I'm somehow closing Simplenote incorrectly, or if jumping between wireless networks is confusing its sync function.
Originally, I started using Simplenote because it synced with Scrivener, but since our Macintosh is dead, it's one less reason to use Simplenote.
I thought I'd try Google Drive; I saw that they had a work off-line option, but apparently working off-line isn't what they mean, as the EDIT and CREATE buttons go grey when there's no local WiFi.
I've read rumors of a Google alternate to SImpleNote, but it hasn't been released yet.
So that leaves me with writing long-hand or using some other tool like the Blogger app to save bits of text.
Originally, I started using Simplenote because it synced with Scrivener, but since our Macintosh is dead, it's one less reason to use Simplenote.
I thought I'd try Google Drive; I saw that they had a work off-line option, but apparently working off-line isn't what they mean, as the EDIT and CREATE buttons go grey when there's no local WiFi.
I've read rumors of a Google alternate to SImpleNote, but it hasn't been released yet.
So that leaves me with writing long-hand or using some other tool like the Blogger app to save bits of text.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Writing Moments
Writing in the car is paradoxic and strange.
The car's engine is off. I wonder how long the car battery will last with the ignition key turned half-way, classical music playing on the radio and the car's clock counting down the minutes until I have to hop out and go to work.
A wireless keyboard rests on my lap; I'm staring at the iPad, which is propped up on the steering wheel.
This narrative I'm working on is moving forward, even though the car is still.
Later.
I'm trying to write, and it's a chore. I'm tired. My throat hurts. I give myself permission to rest.
But after the rest, which goes on much longer than I expected, I'm looking at the stack of revisions I have to do with a sense of weariness. I always seem to feel tired and rundown when I have a largish chunk of time to write. So here I am, trying to jump-start writing by blogging.
On the business side, the computer with my submission tracking software on it died. This isn't so bad, and I have a back-up, only runs on a different platform. I'll have to see about porting it somehow. And then there's that longish, wandering, non-fiction thing I wrote. I should do something with that--on one hand, I could serialize it; but on the other hand, it might be interesting to e-publish it and see where it goes.
Ugh. Business decisions. Quick! Start writing!
The car's engine is off. I wonder how long the car battery will last with the ignition key turned half-way, classical music playing on the radio and the car's clock counting down the minutes until I have to hop out and go to work.
A wireless keyboard rests on my lap; I'm staring at the iPad, which is propped up on the steering wheel.
This narrative I'm working on is moving forward, even though the car is still.
Later.
I'm trying to write, and it's a chore. I'm tired. My throat hurts. I give myself permission to rest.
But after the rest, which goes on much longer than I expected, I'm looking at the stack of revisions I have to do with a sense of weariness. I always seem to feel tired and rundown when I have a largish chunk of time to write. So here I am, trying to jump-start writing by blogging.
On the business side, the computer with my submission tracking software on it died. This isn't so bad, and I have a back-up, only runs on a different platform. I'll have to see about porting it somehow. And then there's that longish, wandering, non-fiction thing I wrote. I should do something with that--on one hand, I could serialize it; but on the other hand, it might be interesting to e-publish it and see where it goes.
Ugh. Business decisions. Quick! Start writing!
Star Globe
This is the latest cutter-plotter project. I made a panel out of ten sheets of heavy paper, glued them into to halves, and then glued the two halves together.
When I was finished, I posed as one of my favorite Burne-Jones paintings. (...and on the eight day God made paper projects).
Now all I need to do is add an LED light for the center.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Fighting Illness
I'm fighting off something. The balls of my feet and the tops of my knuckles have been aching for the last several days. I'm guessing it must be some sort of flu, because going back to sleep with a large quilt and a hot cup of tea sounds really great now.
The worst part about it is that it makes me wonder what the next fifty years are going to be like. When one is walking to the store and it's mildly painful, it brings thoughts of mortality and decay to the forefront. My calves and knees were complaining as I walked down the grocery aisles. "If you can walk you can dance," is a snappy rejoinder I like to tell myself--but what if you can't walk?
Ibuprophin was my friend last night, and soon it will be my friend again. In the meantime, I'm thinking about various relatives and in-laws with arthritis who somehow remain cheerful.
The worst part about it is that it makes me wonder what the next fifty years are going to be like. When one is walking to the store and it's mildly painful, it brings thoughts of mortality and decay to the forefront. My calves and knees were complaining as I walked down the grocery aisles. "If you can walk you can dance," is a snappy rejoinder I like to tell myself--but what if you can't walk?
Ibuprophin was my friend last night, and soon it will be my friend again. In the meantime, I'm thinking about various relatives and in-laws with arthritis who somehow remain cheerful.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
More Advanced Praise
I wanted to wait until I was sure the editors were actually talking about me before I posted this link:
Oooh. You pressed the Capricorn's FAME! button. Do it again.
Today was a writing day; I had the house to myself for about eight hours. I spent some time outside writing in Café John, which was warm enough after wrapping myself in some wool blankets. The day stayed sunny, but got more cold and I moved back inside after lunch.
I wrote more slowly than I wanted to in part because I was getting back to the vampire story I started over a year ago and I got bogged down in some old scenes and in part--and it took me most of the day to figure this out--because I was tired all day.
I'm not sure why I was tired. I thought I got enough sleep last night; maybe I'm fighting off a cold. Being tired meant I spent too much time on little decisions, and too much time staring at the screen wondering how the connective bits between the scenes was going to work. Being tired meant I got easily distracted.
The most productive time was when I just sat down and told myself, "this is the part where they do X" and worried about connecting the dots for later. Not a stellar word count... but better than zero.
[The Gear Master's Wife] does one of the best jobs of SF worldbuilding I've ever seen from an author who isn't already famous for writing great SF - On The Premises (http://onthepremises.blogspot.com/2013/02/worldbuilding.html)
Oooh. You pressed the Capricorn's FAME! button. Do it again.
Today was a writing day; I had the house to myself for about eight hours. I spent some time outside writing in Café John, which was warm enough after wrapping myself in some wool blankets. The day stayed sunny, but got more cold and I moved back inside after lunch.
I wrote more slowly than I wanted to in part because I was getting back to the vampire story I started over a year ago and I got bogged down in some old scenes and in part--and it took me most of the day to figure this out--because I was tired all day.
I'm not sure why I was tired. I thought I got enough sleep last night; maybe I'm fighting off a cold. Being tired meant I spent too much time on little decisions, and too much time staring at the screen wondering how the connective bits between the scenes was going to work. Being tired meant I got easily distracted.
The most productive time was when I just sat down and told myself, "this is the part where they do X" and worried about connecting the dots for later. Not a stellar word count... but better than zero.
Worldbuilding Feature
I'm pleased to be featured in this week's blog article about worldbuilding at On The Premises (http://onthepremises.com/).
I'll add that I do have a kind of "Burridge-rillion" building up for the world this story is set in, and that my writing became more clear once I started to recognize when it had veered away from the plot and into way too much detailed back-story. Editing the extra bits out of the story and into a world bible also helps.
The Gear Master's Wife will be published on-line in about two weeks.
The Gear Master's Wife, [...] contains some of the best worldbuilding our magazine has ever received. The author, John Burridge, manages to mix questions with suggested answers in such a way that, even though we don't fully understand the world the story takes place in, we feel we understand enough.
I'll add that I do have a kind of "Burridge-rillion" building up for the world this story is set in, and that my writing became more clear once I started to recognize when it had veered away from the plot and into way too much detailed back-story. Editing the extra bits out of the story and into a world bible also helps.
The Gear Master's Wife will be published on-line in about two weeks.
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