Stephen Leary's Blog, page 19

Amtrak Writers Residency Opens Many Possibilities

Amtrak recently has offered "writers' residencies" for those who will ride their trains and write about whatever they want, apparently. The first writer in the program was Jessica Gross, and Amtrak has plans for a long-term program.

Many other transportation companies could offer writers residencies:

Airlines Metropolitan Mass Transit (BART, DC Metro, etc)Cruise LinesGreyhound Bus

People spend a lot of time traveling from one place to another, so the residencies make sense. But many other indu...

How to Write a Novel Holding a Full-time Job

How to find time to write a novel while holding down a full-time job?

It can be done, and I'm sure many people do it. I'm going to talk about how I do it and some other suggestions to accomplish the goal of completing your manuscript.

Everyone's circumstances are different. Some people have a wife and kids. Others take classes in addition to working a job. A novel can be written in the downtime in and around your other commitments. The downtime is there. Unless you're a slave, you have time s...

Giveaway for My Book "Murder at the Library Conference"

5 free signed copies of my novel "Murder at the Library Conference." Enter the giveaway.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Why You Should Write Your Novel Out of Sequence

My latest website blog post "Why You Should Write Your Novel Out of Sequence"

http://bit.ly/1edMOep

Why You Should Write Your Novel Out of Sequence

Many authors on the message boards claim to write their novels in sequence, starting with chapter 1, then on to chapter 2, then chapter 3, all the way to the end.

That surprises me, because I don't write that way and I don't see how it could possibly be a good idea.

When I work on a novel manuscript, I write whatever part of the story inspires me at the time. It doesn't matter to me if that is the first chapter of the narrative or the last. Once I feel I have enough material for the book, tha...

Recent Tweets

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary
I find @starbucks music in the background helps me write. Doesn't seem to hurt #amwriting #mysteries #thrillers

4 free drinks and counting

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary
Wow, 50 books! RT @iBooks: "I doubt I have fingerprints left." J.A. Jance hits the 50th book milestone http://tw.apple.com/60145k7q

Retweeted by Stephen Leary
Hugh Howey ‏@hughhowey 6h
Ed Robertson's work with a pencil matches the results of our larger report: http://www.edwardwrobertson.com/2014/... …

That's it with Bach and the harpsichord. The sound is too thin. Piano only. I tried but the harpsichord has to go. #music

Watching curling (USA ouch), working on novels #amwriting

JK Rowling's new crime novel features murdered novelist | via @Telegraph http://fw.to/QEgTHJg

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary Feb 16
A whole gym all to myself today! Where is everybody? ##WeekendWorkout

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary Feb 16
Yes but many bestsellers use prologues RT @WritersDigest What are overused openings in fantasy scifi, crime novels? http://tinyurl.com/mmg6j4v

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary Feb 15
Treadmill in the gym today. Too cold and soggy out there #dc #running

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary Feb 15
Damn, King. Your politics are scarier than any of your books RT @StephenKing Ted Cruz in Florida to court big-money donors for a etc

Stephen Leary ‏@stephenleary Feb 15
How many murders on his hands? Anybody got the running count? RT @stevewilsonap Putin wears Team USA pin in visit pic.twitter.com/LzBGhKRbCu”

I'm Unpublishing My Short Story The Smartphone

I've unpublished my short story "The Smartphone" from Amazon, B&N, etc.

As a "work of literature," I'm satisfied with it. But I intend to republish it later as part of a short story collection or a free giveaway of some sort.

I published it as a way of learning about self-publishing on Amazon and Smashwords. Mission accomplished!

Recent Tweets

Isnt Snow Soccer an Olympic sport? Winter equivalent of Beach Soccer #Sochi2014

Wasnt someone working on a pill you could take and it's like you read an entire book? #reading #writing

The cliche twitter profile just isnt complete without "dog lover" is it?

I want to be like Robert Ludlum. #Books published under my name 100 years after my untimely demise #authors #amwriting

Don't you feel those "Fact Checks" are nothing but Opinion Checks by highly partisan political activists pretending to be journalists?

PRO TIP If you want conversation in #Starbucks show up w/bluetooth keyboard, type madly on it every day Mission accomplished #amwriting

Thanks for Entering My Goodreads Lottery

Thanks to the 1,028 people who entered my Goodreads giveaway lottery for a free copy of "Murder at the Library Conference." Mailing out the books to the winners shortly.

More good things coming this year. Probably 2 novels and a themed short story collection. The fantasy/horror/thriller novel "Attack of the Manikins" is next.

I'm working on something like 6 novels and 2 short story collections now. It's more interesting than just working on one thing from start to finish. I go with what inspi...

My Writing Plans for 2014

Ideally in 2014, I'll publish 2 more novels and a short story collection with all stories on a specific theme.

The next novel will be "Attack of the Manikins" and it's an ambitious work so hopefully I can pull it off the way I want.