Blair MacGregor's Blog, page 22

On the Difference Between Price and Value

JW Manus does a good job today discussing the chasm between price (set by the publisher) and value (set by the reader), and what readers don’t tend to consider “necessary”forthe production of a good read.

It’s a tangent to my own feelings of how writers are the only contributors to big publishing who are told they can’t make a living in the business.

Honing the Pivotal Scene

I don’t talk about process as much as I think about process, mostly because I’m fairly certain everyone would respond with, “Well, duh, Blair. We all know that. Where have you been?” But now and again, I find writing about process helps me better understand it. And once it’s written, it seems silly to leave it sitting about with nothing to do.

So. Here it be.

I’m working on a pivotal chapter near the end of the arc’s Act I. It’s a point of decision that’s been set up by previous events, the tur...

The Happy Stage of Arrogant Certainty

I’ve hit the obsessive stage of revisions. It’s my favorite stage of the process–more enjoyable, even, than that first flush of New Story. The stage of focused revisions is one of both control and discovery, when all the pieces at last fit together properly and flow with the right balance of surprise and inevitability.

Those worldbuilding changes thrill me. Everything that didn’t quite fit now snicks into place. Plot holes are filled. Motivations are clear. Stakes are raised. It works.

Knowing...

Once More, With…

… with feeling. Or different feelings. Or deeper knowledge, or better strategy, or greater confidence. Or hubris blind to incompetence. We shall see.

I am inflicting more revisions on Sand of Bone. Once upon a time, repeated revision rounds felt akin to shaving away words and layers in an attempt to make my novel-peg fit into a proper slot. But the freedom of how I’ve chosen to present my stories, along with the reading and consideration of reviews given to Sword and Chant, have given me both...

“I Thought He Was Taller”

I’ve been blown away by the spread of, and positive response to, my last post. It freaked me out a little at first, seeing the views here and at BMB keep rising. My hope is the folks who read it will find not only something interesting, but reason to look ahead with positive hope.

As much as we (using “we” in the most general sense) like to believe we are empathetic creatures at heart, even the best of us have blind spots. It’s difficult to understand how one person’s experience feels on a vis...

Seeing Is Understanding

This is about speaking up, creepers, and what good men don’t always see. Names have been changed.

Some time ago, I was having lunch with a group of friends—four men, one woman, and me. I’ve known most of the group for five or six years. We were talking about shared past experiences when one of the men mentioned that he missed Larry. “Gotta like a man who can make a good cup of coffee,” he said.

“No, I don’t,” I blurted out, and described how that man knew precisely where the lines of “inappropr...

Sword and Chant Sale

For the entire month of August, Sword and Chant will be discounted to $2.99 via Amazon!

Why?

Because I both want to and am able to do discount pricing when I wish.

Tagged: sales, sword and chant

An Additional Piece on Author Solutions

David Gaughran takes on the Author Solutions situation again, this time from the perspective of their participation in a Canadian book festival.

The festival’s stance boils down to, “Well, writers should know to investigate them first.”

Here’s the deal: Writers trust writers groups and book festivals. They assume there is a basic ethical standard that would keep said groups from inviting and supporting known scam artists to stand beside professionals at their events. They assume said groups wou...

Plotting Again

I spent last week at karate camp, where much of my time was given to coaching upcoming black belt candidates on kata and self-defense. (Sparring isn’t part of our testing process.) Black belt candidates are my favorite group to teach. Despite the heat and humidity, the week flew by.

An added benefit of karate camp–the hours coaching students on the strategy of defending against multiple attackers, other hours considering the best strategies to communicate with parents, and yet more hours deter...

Inside the Silly Writer’s Head

The conversation that took place in my head during revisions:

Dang it. I’ve established it’s cold in that stronghold corridor, but Syrina is just standing there. Yeah, she’s thinking, but she doesn’t even notice the cold.

Maybe she’s distracted from the cold by the talk she’s about to give.

No. I’ve been cold. Really cold. If anything, the cold would distract her from the talk. And she’s been cold in this place before. Cold enough to want to avoid it.

Okay, let’s give her a blanket.

That works! Sh...