Steven Savage's Blog, page 41

Fiction Is More Stressful Than Nonfiction

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

As I return to fiction writing with my next novel in the Avenoth series, A School of Many Futures, I find it more stressful than writing non-fiction. I write a lot of nonfiction, and it’s relatively low-stress, yet fiction . . .

My experience with fiction writers reveals this isn’t universal – some are quite relaxed about making it, others knotted with anxiety. So I wondered, why is it more...

The Challenge of Supporting Your Fellow Creatives

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

We’d like to support our fellow creatives because we care, because they’re our friends, and because we know what we’re going through. It’s often challenging for us to do for many reasons.

We may have limited time and resources to help.We may know creatives who aren’t good at accepting help.We may know creatives who are busy.We may, simply not know how to help or be able to.We may have too ma...

The Angel Is In The Action

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

We’ve often heard it said The Devil is in the Details, which is certainly true in writing. We can plot and outline all we want, but when one truly writes, that’s when we find out just how many unexpected details and findings can bedevil us. Writing is often overwhelming when we dive into a work because there’s so much we have to think about.

Worldbuilding is a prime example. No matter how mu...

Inspiration from Other Sources: RPGs

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

A few times I and my friend Serdar have discussed how we take inspiration for our writing from sources other than writing. Serdar often takes inspiration from music, I get inspiration from management processes, and so on. Lately I had a strange and interesting inspiration I wanted to share.

Role-playing games – but probably not in the way you suspect.

I began studying RPGs in depth lately for...

Steve’s Update 9/8/2019

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

Hello everyone! Let’s get to the update of my projects – and as a reminder, if you want more in-depth issue there’s my newsletter!

August was a month far busier than I expected, and the end of the month involved quite a lot going on. I managed to keep up, but a few things slipped.

So what have I done since last time? Way With Worlds: I got the News book back from the editor! Quite enthused with this one!Chance’s...

SV Comic Con Roundup: Marketing Panel

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

First of all, sorry this comes late. It’s been awhile since I and my crew did the Silicon Valley Comic Con panels on self-publishing, and i’m only now reporting on it. It’s been a busy few weeks to say the least – you probably noticed a decrease in my blogging.

But now, with a lot of that behind me, let’s talk the latest addition to the speaking repertoire for my local crew of self-publishers...

Opinion Columnists: Why?

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

As I would like this column to be timeless, I shall not mention what inspired it. So while skipping history, let me posit something: opinion columnists without some background and skill to have an opinion on are useless.

To write on opinions and viewpoints is fine, and useful. Having an opinion, understanding it’s an opinion, is a way yo ground what you say in context. Writing on it effectiv...

Steve’s Cooking: Bowl Meals

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

I’m continuing posting some of my favorite cooking tips and recipes for my fellow creatives and professionals. After all, we’ve got to eat and eat healthy, but we’re also busy, stressed, and 95% caffeine. We don’t have time for fancy stuff but we also don’t want to live on corn chips.

So let me talk about one of my favorite meals where delicious, fast, and healthy meet – Bowl Meals

Bowl Meals...

Stress Management As Productivity

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

We’re awash in productivity advice telling us how to get things done, how to prioritize, and so on. I should know, I give some of this advice, but I’d like to pull away the curtain a bit and discuss what a good chunk of productivity tips involve.

They involve stress management.

Sure, productivity gurus and coaches won’t say that. In fact, they may not even realize it – they’re all focused on how much you get don...

Steve’s Update 8/26/2019

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

The latest update is here!

Sorry for the lateness of the blog posts, by the way. It was one of those weeks. So let’s see what’s up!

So what have I done since last time? Way With Worlds: The News and Worldbuilding book is done! Now for the next step!Chance’s Muse: The Seventh Sanctum book is also done! I’ve been on a roll!A School Of Many Futures: The sequel to “A Bridge To The Quiet Planet” plotting is still goi...