Category: Outlining
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Book Research
One of the things I love most about being an author is the research. That may sound boring to many, but I have a passion for learning. I love that “aha!” feeling when you understand a new concept or learn some interesting or fundamental factoid. If I could have remained…
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My Outlining Technique
If you’re one of my dear “Constant Readers” (to borrow a turn of phrase from one of the masters), you may have seen the post before. A couple of times, in fact. But, once again, one of my outlines got a fair amount of attention on social media recently, with…
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Writing Roundup
We’re more than halfway through 2026, so it feels like a good time to share a run-down or roundup or whatever you prefer to call it of my writing so far this year! Let’s start with what’s been published! Short Stories While I have ramped up my novel writing, short…
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The Cobalt Fist
I’m hip deep in re-outlining my epic, seven book series I’m temporarily calling The Cobalt Fist. I’m having so much fun it’s actually eating into the time I should be spending on finishing my current WIP, Shallow Trenches/Open Skies. But, alas, The Cobalt Fist is my favorite sandbox to play…
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April Anticipation Brought May Flowers
Back at the beginning of April, I wrote a blog post titled Writing News & April Anticipation. And now that it’s May a lot of that anticipation has paid off, so I thought it was time for a follow up! Contest & Awards Laramie Awards I won’t bury the lead,…
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A Memory for Stories: How I Came to Writing Later in Life
It all started, as it so often does, with reading. From a young age, I was an avid reader, and always reading years above my age group. I routinely scored high on reading comprehension, and I seemed to remember a higher percentage of what I read than others, especially when…
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Where Did the Idea Come From?: Shallow Trenches/Open Skies
I often struggle with coming up with blog topics, so I’m constantly on the hunt for interesting ideas. This week’s comes from a suggestion I found on Goodreads: Where did you get the idea for your most recent book? The path to the idea that sparked Shallow Trenches/Open Skies is…
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Outlining: Back to the Board
I had a phone meeting with my director/producer over the weekend. Got some questions answered and received some much needed guidance. All that means that I’m back to working on the horror feature I can’t talk too much about. But what I can talk about is one of my favorite…
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Research & World-Building in WWII
As I embark on a new project, I thought this week might be a good time to discuss research and world-building, which, for me at least, are intricately connected. This is especially true for the project I have just begun – the seven-part series I am temporarily calling The Cobalt…
