D.N. Schmidt's Blog: DNSchmidt.com, page 2

New fantasy horror story: Silverfish

Rosalyn is the night shift nurse at a nursing home, and a frustrated writer. She discovers a strange book in a resident’s room filled with woodcut illustrations of rituals, people in robes slaughtering lambs and draining the blood into goblets, bonfires with smoke taking on humanoid shapes, and otherworldly creatures. Not only that, a chapter is titled To Invoke The […]

Books I’ll (Probably) Never Write

As a writer, I constantly get new story ideas. Some of them turn out great, but others aren’t even worth starting. These are from the second group. Here are some books I’ll probably never write. These ideas didn’t cut it, but I think I found the perfect inspiration for my next book. Inspired by composer John Cage’s silent piece 4’33”, […]

Kevin’s Forever Kingdom

A Science Fiction Short Story Prince Reginald stepped into the longhouse, watching for any sign of movement. On Detritus Island, attacks could come from anywhere. Thankfully, the place seemed to be empty. He took his hand off his sword. At the far end of the vast room, a cauldron bubbled over a roaring fire. He couldn’t smell anything cooking, but […]

Stop Getting Heckled by Your Inner Critic

Does Your Art Feel Like a Cheap Trick? Learn to See the Magic Again When I was a kid, I fell in love with magic. Not the spells and wizards kind, the kind with playing cards and sponge balls. I had seen geeks in tuxedos pulling rabbits out of hats, and I desperately needed to join their ranks. Unfortunately, I […]

Each and Every One

A Fantasy Story “I was out camping and I…  I sure wish I never seen it.” The woman wrung her hands, her face pinched. “There needs to be a wall or a fence, or at least some warning signs!” “Warning about what?” Sheriff Doyle asked. “What’s the problem?” Her expression turned from fear to shame. Turning away, she rubbed her […]

Generative AI Harms Creativity

Stop making excuses. Real inspiration will never come from AI. When writers discuss generative AI, one of the responses we often hear is, “I would never have ChatGPT write my story for me. That’s cheating! I just use it for generating ideas.” But even when you write your own stories, generative AI harms creativity. Sure, if you use AI to […]

The Possum Problem

I was out mowing the lawn and noticed a bunch of flies around the back of the tool shed. I figured they were going after some garbage. For some reason, people walking down the alley behind my house like to throw empty beer cans into my yard. I thought maybe someone decided to toss the rest of their garbage too. […]

Quick Writing Tip: Writing About Different Backgrounds

I often see new writers asking if they’re “allowed” to write people from different backgrounds. They’re worried that they won’t get it right, or that they’ll offend someone, so they seek out more experienced authors to ask for advice. If you’ve ever wondered, the answer is yes. Writers should feel free to write about anyone, regardless of age, gender, culture, […]

The Glyph Dealer

A Science Fiction Short Story Sid checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was around. He didn’t actually need to turn, as he had a Third Eye camera implant in the back of his head. Even without appearing to look, he could tell the alley was empty. He tucked the money in his jeans and handed Zoe a […]

Bad ways to start a novel

Would you like to write a novel but you’re not sure how to begin? Here are some examples of what not to do. Looking for actual writing tips? Check out my writing advice section here.