Hugh Howey: The Publishing World is Changing. How Can You Keep Up? Novelists, Inc. Conference Day 2, St. Pete Beach Oct. 2014 Hugh Howey began his presentation by showing slides on “A history of storytelling.” The order goes this way: Oral tradition Written tradition The first cubicle workers, i.e. monks transcribing by hand Movable type … Read more
Session Two: Yo! Here I am! Buy Me! Novelists, Inc. Conference St. Pete Beach Oct. 2014 The general reader mindset changed with the advent of lower-priced, self-published books. One speaker encouraged higher prices than $.99. For that low price, he feels readers aren’t as vested and are more likely to give a lower rating. Also, … Read more
Novelists, Inc. Conference St. Pete Beach Oct. 2014 The Novelists, Inc. (Ninc) conference is the only writers’ conference focused solely on the business of writing. To become a member, you must show proof of two published novels. This is not the place to promote your work, pitch to agents or pick up new fans. It’s … Read more
What did the early peoples of southeast Florida find to eat? Recently, Michelle Williams from the Florida Public Archaeology Network gave a talk about “Weeds and Seeds: Dining on the Riches of Southeast Florida.” Any errors in this report are due to my interpretation. She mentioned how the early people build pyramidal shaped mounds as … Read more
Your experiences and travels provide fodder for future works and should be recorded. When I wrote travel journals years ago, little did I realize that I’d be mining those notes decades later for my Drift Lords series. I’d been to Hong Kong in 1978. Yet today, many of the sights, sounds, and sensory impressions remain … Read more
Fort Wilderness Resort at Disney World We had visited Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort years ago and then only for the musical dinner show. So we were pleasantly surprised to find the entrance just beyond Golden Oaks on Vista Blvd., less than 15 minutes from our condo. You park at a visitor lot after checking in … Read more
Epcot Food Festival, Day 2 Today was overcast and hot so I couldn’t eat much in the heat. Only made it to two places again but the portions were generous and I wasn’t hungry after the hearty dish at France. We started off to the right past Puerto Rico. Next time, we’ll have to go … Read more
Our first day at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, it was hot and stifling out with little breeze. A cloud cover helped shade us from the sun, and for that much we were grateful. But it was still a chore to trudge all the way around World Showcase. It wasn’t too busy yet being … Read more
Our drive via the Florida turnpike north to Orlando this past weekend encountered an unexpected hazard. Lovebugs flew at us from all directions. They splatted onto our windshield and car grill and beset upon us when we stopped for gas. We’d never seen them so thick and omnipresent. In case you’re unfamiliar with this plague … Read more
Plotting a story can take weeks, especially a mystery with its varied suspects and convoluted plot twists. Once I’ve devised the crime scene, the victim, and the cause involved, I turn to my list of suspects. Here is where I delve more deeply into their psyches. This means working on character development sheets for each person … Read more