Author | Joseph L. Selby

Thoughts

The journal and sometimes blog of author, Joseph L. Selby.

  • It’s a Start

    Thanks to Ted Cross and Liz Poole for pointing out that it wasn’t just people not being able to find comments but that comments weren’t working. Seems there was a change in Blogger’s comment form since this template was made that prevented comments from working. That has been fixed. What hasn’t been fixed is adding…

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  • How to Comment

    So this new template I’m using doesn’t put the comment link on the front page. You have to click on 0 Comments and then click on comment. I will fix it when I have some free time. I notice that I’ve received NO comments since I made the switch. Thing is, other than that and…

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  • Oh, you’re a writer?

    I stopped telling people I write fantasy unless they directly ask what I write. Even then, they get that masked look on their face like they’re trying their damndest to hide their disdain. That or they had a sudden bout of diarrhea they were fending off. Any more, really, I don’t like telling people I’m…

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  • A Double! (The War Makers)

    Man, I’m not having the best luck with names today. Discussing whether it’s okay to be happy about the death of Osama Bin Laden (short answer: yes, yes it is), I had an idea for another story. Not sure if it would be novel length. Maybe short story or novella. I think there’s more than…

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  • The Invisibles

    I stayed up late last night, so I think I’ve mentioned a little of this before but I will start from the beginning so I can organize these ideas for later reference. Up the street from where I lived, there was a small utility company office. This is strange in that AmerenUE has a monopoly…

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  • Better Late than Never?

    I have SO many thoughts going through my head, some of them articulate, some of them…not. I remember where I was, what I said, what I thought when the towers fell. When we went to war. When we diverted personnel to a second war that would take the life of someone I care about. And…

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  • God’s (Book) Country

    So I’ve had two really good posts all week but I’ve been so busy at work. In my off hours, I’ve been spending time at Book Country. It’s a place for authors, aspiring and successful, to gather and share and critique. It reminds me of Authonomy without the used-car mentality or critique.org with less strict…

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  • Speak More

    The first novel I ever finished is titled BLACK MAGIC AND BARBECUE SAUCE. While it needs some tweaking, I still enjoy it. I actually read a few chapters a month or so back because I was in that type of mood. I posted chapter 2 (which should be chapter 1) to Liz Poole’s 50-follower blogfest.…

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  • A Disturbing Thought

    So if you don’t make it out of the slush pile, you’re most likely getting the ax by the assistant tasked with grinding the slush. Assuming the assistant wants to be an agent someday down the road, not only are you getting rejected by the agent you queried, you’re getting rejected by an agent from…

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  • Ooo New Name

    I don’t spend a lot of time on series names. Sometimes I see people get so consumed with the idea and scope of their trilogy/series that they don’t actually focus on the novel in front of them and actually write the damn thing. They’re too busy thinking theirs will be the next Wheel of Time…

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  • The Five-Step Procedural

    I do not write mystery/thriller, so I have no idea if what I’m about to say applies to the written word. That kind of question is better served by Jennifer Hillier. But it was the procedural drama that ended my 5-year hiatus from television1. Now the best procedurals on television today (or at least over…

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  • Pacing, Fantasy, Authors, and Agents

    I received feedback on one of my manuscripts from an author. She said the pacing at the beginning was too slow. It had been an issue during earlier drafts and I had thought I had resolved it to my satisfaction. I do not immediately agree with feedback from an agent and I don’t believe you…

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  • Websites

    Taken from Roni Loren’s website this has to be the wittiest comic panel I’ve seen in awhile. Roni is redesigning her site and like so many authors is not a web designer. I am not either. I work in media, but I am a project manager. I hire people to design content for me. This…

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