The journal and sometimes blog of author, Joseph L. Selby.
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Beginning Anew
I revised the wind sprint I wrote a few weeks ago into a MUCH better first chapter. There’s a little too much there, but I’ll pare that down during revision. The tone and the action are so much better. Less description of action and more action. I am incredibly pleased. The thing is, today is…
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Keeping Up Appearances
Having moved around a lot, I have a lot of friends online. And really, I was a quick adopter of the internet back in the ’90s and have a tendency to express myself online much the same as I do in real life. Especially when it comes to blowing off steam. Since I work with…
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Afternoon Showers on the Frontal Lobe
I did some brainstorming with Elizabeth Poole today, which was incredibly helpful. I was wavering on 7Sac, as the scope was too large and the story too small. There wasn’t enough steak and potatoes. It was mostly pre-dinner rolls. The story was at risk of falling into too many cliches, specifically the “build a team”…
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We have the tools! We have the talent!
My wife got me what could be the greatest stocking stuffer of all time. Yes, that is the greatest utensil ever made, the spork. But it’s not just any spork. It’s a titanium spork. That’s right. Titanium. Now you may ask yourself, why would anyone need a titanium spork? And I would say to you,…
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A MAP!
I love maps almost as much as I like titles. If only I had the artistic talent necessary to draw maps. But I knew what I wanted to use as a map (also why I changed the name of the acreages). So after a little tweaking in photofiltre, I have a rough map that I…
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Plontsing the Sac
I’ve been on holiday! It is becoming a tradition that each Christmas my wife and I go up into the White Mountains for a few days. Though New Hampshire is a small state, the North country and the South Country are pretty different (as we’re often reminded by those that live in the North). You…
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The Easiest Way to Give
So you lost your job and you haven’t had an interview in months but you still splurged on presents for the kids because you can’t stand to think of them crying in front of the tree. You think to yourself, I don’t have any money to give to a charity. Well, Nathan Bransford is holding…
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Telegraphing the Play
Writing a novel is like writing a sports play, it may look familiar, but you don’t want the reader to know the play that’s coming. I know some people read for the experience, but some people (like me) read for the surprise. That’s why I hate spoilers so much. If the surprise is ruined for…
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The Transition Story
Empire Strikes Back is my least favorite of the Star Wars trilogy1. This is heresy among accepted Star Wars fandom, but it is the way it is. You can rattle off the various elements of the movie that make it better than the others, a richer universe, more defined characters, a darker/grittier edge to it,…
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Silver Lining
I usually don’t speak on my relationship with my mother except in the context of my upbringing and its impact on greater topics like racism or religion. This is for a few reasons: it implies I dwell on the matter, which I don’t. When hearing we haven’t seen each other in 7 years, someone inevitably…
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No One Likes a Dumb Protagonist
The subject line says it all. No one likes a dumb protagonist. We accept flawed characters and we accept that situations can be shrouded in mystery or so layered that a character cannot comprehend it on spec. They need time to peel back the layers or let the whole thing soak in before it finally…
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Cover Cover Cover
I love me some covers. Until I have an actual published book to pimp in the Inkwell, I put up those books that I have finished a first draft on. But to be put up, they must have a cover. We will not have text about books that do not accompany covers! It’s not a…