22 lessons to help you move from idea to finished manuscript — A complete fiction writing course right here on Medium. 22 step-by-step lessons to help you get started on the road to novel writing success. This complete beginner’s course covers all the basics you need to begin writing your novel. I don’t offer it as an expert or ‘guru’; rather as…

Everything you need to start freelance writing — A complete nonfiction freelance writing course right here on Medium. 22 step-by-step lessons to help you get started on the road to freelance writing success. This complete beginner’s course covers all the basics you need to begin freelance writing, including how to find and write for the best-paying markets, how to develop your style, how to research, write, prepare, and submit articles, blog posts, and features, and how to set your fees and make sure you get paid on time. You’ll also learn about the practical, legal, and business sides of making a living as a freelance writer.

Historical fantasy fiction based on the true story of the struggle for Ojibwe fishing and treaty rights back in the 70s — Content warning: contains strong language When you’ve been fishing the ancestral lakes as long as I have, you’ve seen some weird shit, for sure. You don’t go crazy-balls at a ghostfish anymore, or one of those that bubbles curses at you because you didn’t make a tobacco offering like you…

How to decide which option is better for you and your writing — Why you might want to self-publish The reasons why writers decide to self-publish their work — rather than sign with a literary agent or go directly to a publishing house — are as varied as writers themselves. Some reasons are more realistic than others. If you’re thinking of self-publishing because you’ve read a few success stories…

This is my last testimony, spoken in trust and taken down in truth, word for word, by a faithful servant of the New Empire. So be it. — Beyond the silent walls of the scriptorium, everything had changed. That much, I knew. There had been too much war and bloodshed. I was glad of the peace and quiet again, to be honest. …

Handing you the keys to writing nail-biting fiction — Emerging from a reading-and-research session in which I devoured dozens of suspenseful novels from classics of literature to modern day romances, I’ve made copious notes in my writing journal to answer the question, “How do authors create suspense in writing? What’s the key to nail-biting tension in fiction?” This is…

Creativity is hard, but keeping a journal makes it easier — Do you keep a personal journal? I think every writer should. It’s possibly the single most powerful tool in any creative’s tool box. I’ve been journaling since almost as long ago as I can remember. I have stacks — literally dozens and dozens — of paper journals. Most of them…

Stop being a good writer — and become a better one instead — There’s so much writing advice available these days on every corner of the Internet; much of it is not very good; a lot of it is plagiarized from other writers by folks who have no idea what they’re talking about; some of it is downright bad. …

Will we forge swords or plowshares? — While researching an idea for a new SF story, I stumbled across a guy called Chris Phoenix. Not the music producer, the other one. He’s the Director of Research at The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. His work interested me, especially the political and ethical dimensions of some of his ideas…