Recent content by neodoering

Speaking of Indians, I just finished reading Reservation Blues, about some Native American young people who form a rock band. The book is a fantasy and is a fun read. I recommend it.

I'm currently reading The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, which is a thick compendium (1020 pages) of leather-bound bookmaking. Love his poems and his prose both, so much that I am working on a short Poe-esque story set in Egypt in the late 19th century. It needs works, but so...

And just before that, I finished a "The Hainish novels and stories" anthology by Ursula K. Le Guin. Interesting stuff, anthropological scifi with some fantasy brushes (in the first stories at least). You might try Ursula LeGuin's work, Always Coming Home. It too is an anthropological work...

For non-fiction I am currently reading Islamic Empires, which is an examination of Islam over 15 centuries. The author, Justin Marozzi, picks one city per century and shows how it is a powerhouse of Islam leadership and military might. The chapter on Jerusalem is to depressing that I could...

One of the aspects of this series is that the author writes a new trilogy from time to time, with the same characters. So they age and go through trials and tribulations, and by The Days of Anna Madrigal (last book in the series) the characters are mostly in their 60's - 90's and have...

I'm reading Michael Tolliver Lives. It is set in San Francisco around 2007 and follows the lives of half a dozen characters. This is number 7 in a 9 book series. The characters are middle-aged now; one is an octogenarian. The writing is fluid, and the story arc is well handled. The first...

People speak of writing as an addiction that you can feed or deny, but I find that if I try to write based on how I feel, I don't get much done. Slow but steady, a little each day, allows me to put out a short story every few weeks, with breaks between stories so I don't get fatigued...

I solve this dilemma by writing a little bit each day. Sometimes I write more, and sometimes I take a day off. I am able to keep up pretty well.

I change my environment: put on some music and take a half hour break from writing, or take a walk outside. Sometimes I read a passage from a favorite book or graphic novel. I'm single and have no pets, but I have half a dozen good friends I can email; one of them of them is bound to get back...

It's fun to read these posts and see what others are reading. Today I am lamenting the closure of Borders Books, back when I had a bookstore one block from my apartment. The media was saying Barnes & Noble was going to go under, too, but they've held on pretty well. I am reading Dan Brown's...

Try the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony. Funny stuff for young adults, with a gentle and wholesome treatment of sexuality.

I just picked up the library's copy of Power Failure by Ben Bova. Its been a while since I read his stuff, and I'm really looking to digging in.

How do you write, from an outline or gung-ho off the cuff? I would never write a novel without a fairly dense outline. You have to know where you want to go, or the story is going to wander and peter out without satisfying the readers who plunked down their money for your book. Just my two cents.

Your work is accomplished and enjoyable to view. I'd say don't worry about being self-taught; many of today's pros are self-taught.