David B. Coe's Blog, page 34

A New Post About Worldbuilding

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Stuart Jaffe, among others. The post is called “Making Your Worlds Come Alive” and it’s about worldbuilding as an ongoing process throughout the writing of a novel. I hope you enjoy it.

Two Posts Up Today

I have two posts going up today. The first, my usual Monday Magical Words post, can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Stuart Jaffe, and A.J. Hartley. The post is called “Snippets” and it’s about . . . well, lots of stuff. The second will be up later today and can be found at http://www.sfnovelists.com, the group blog on speculative fiction that I maintain along wi...

The Tyranny of the Majority

Two recent events have brought me back to my historical fascination with Constitutional history, and to my admiration for the foresight of at least some of the founders.

Specifically, I speak of the judicial ruling on gay marriage handed down by Judge Vaughn Walker, who struck down Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage approved by California voters in November 2008.  And I speak as well of the controversy over the Muslim community center that some wish to build within two blocks of the old Wo...

A New Post About Plotting

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Stuart Jaffe, among others. The post is called “By Request: A Post About Plotting” and it’s a response to last week’s inaugural Magical Words poll, the results of which indicated that people were interested in a post about plotting books. I hope you enjoy it.

Anthology Giveaway!

For those of you interested in winning a free copy of the Dragon's Lure anthology, edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and including stories from Misty Massey, C. E. Murphy, and others, including me (my story is called "The Dragon Muse"), I am giving away a free copy to the winner of the latest contest on my web site.  So visit the site, enter the contest, and maybe you'll win!

A Post About New Challenges in Writing

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Stuart Jaffe, among others.  The post is called “New Writing Challenges” and it’s about trying something new with my writing (and yours).  I hope you enjoy it.

Also, please check out the new online poll we have posted at MW.  The poll is looking for new ideas for post topics.  So tell us what you’d l...

A Post About Selling Your Book

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Stuart Jaffe, among others. The post is called “Writing Your Book, part XI: Marketing Your Work and Yourself” and it’s about trying to sell that first manuscript in today’s market. I hope you enjoy it.

Weekend Appearance at Tennessee Antiquarian Book Fair

This weekend I'll be appearing at the Tennessee Antiquarian Book Fair, a festival for book collectors.  This years fair is being held in Cowan, Tennessee, a cute little town just a few miles from where I live.  It's a two day event -- Saurday and Sunday -- although because of a prior family obligation (Swim Championships -- Go Tiger Sharks!!), I'll only be there on Sunday.

My talk is at 1:00 and the title (not of my choosing) is "Character and Conflict Development in Works of Fantasy."  I'll ...

An Upcoming Anthology

I am pleased to be able to announce that I will have a short story appearing in a new anthology edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray.  The anthology is called After Hours:  Tales From the Ur-Bar .  Here is the editors' description:

The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on--in each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-Bar...

A Post About Keeping Your Book on Track

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Stuart Jaffe, among others. The post is called “What’s Your Book About” and it focuses on keeping your book directed and thematically coherent as you write. I hope you enjoy it.