L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 21
December 15, 2022
Start Small
Getting started is one of the toughest parts of being a writer. As a reader, you know what things are supposed to look like when a writer’s work is finished: a completed novel with interesting characters, an engaging plot, and an intriguing setting. The tough part is getting from A to B. How is someone who has never written a novel before supposed to write one?
My advice is to start small. I’ve often suggested that there are five parts to a story:
CharactersPlotSettingsThemes/IdeasWriting T...
December 14, 2022
How to Survive a Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that closely resembles a horse, except with a single horn upon its forehead. They are most commonly found in ancient woods where magic is plentiful. Although the majority of unicorns are white in colour, a variety of other colours have also been observed. The most notorious of these is the transparent unicorn, which is so rare that many suspect its existence to be a prank played by some overly bored elves. However, I can personally attest that at least one tra...
December 12, 2022
English Class
Every now and then, I’ll get an email from someone who wonders if they can be a good writer despite having done horribly in English class. My usual response to that is to tell them not to worry. English, as a subject, is not exactly geared toward producing good writers, especially when it comes to creative writing (i.e., fiction).
To some extent, this makes perfect sense. The majority of people have no great interest in doing creative writing. Instead, their interest is in finding stories they e...
December 9, 2022
The Truth (Flash Fiction Fridays #28)
Simon’s laughter trailed off as Cuddles stared at him. “Wait… Santa isn’t real, right? Right?”
The cosmic guinea pig nibbled on a caramel-glazed donut and took a sip of brandy. “What makes you think he isn’t real?”
“Because it just doesn’t make sense. Someone who knows if you’ve been bad or good and who can not only deliver a gift to every child in the world but also one specific to their individual needs, all in one night? Santa would have to be some kind of nigh-omnipotent being.”
Cuddles took...
December 5, 2022
Animals To Zombify
Timmy (from The Unconventional Heroes Series) is a Grand Necromancer. His wealth and influence are immense. Yet there are some animals he hasn’t yet managed to make zombies out of. Can you guess what they are? I’ll give you a list of five, along with the reasons he hasn’t made any zombies out of them yet.
Will he finally be able to accomplish his dreams in Two Necromancers, a Fortress, and a Titan? Who knows. And, yes, that’s the working title for the next book.
Giant pangolin. Pangolins are no...December 4, 2022
Survivorship Bias
It can be very easy to become discouraged when you look at an author’s oeuvre (body of work). You see book after book that has been successful, each one full of wonderful ideas that have been brought to life on the page. But what you don’t see are the stories that didn’t make it, the ideas that were never quite good enough to make the cut.
This is an example of survivorship bias.
No author gets it right every time. Even amongst an author’s published works, there are going to be stories that are ...
November 24, 2022
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf eBook… Free on Black Friday!
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf will be free on Amazon for Black Friday (25th November 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM PST)! You can get it here.
If you haven’t already given it a try, or you know someone who might enjoy it, Friday is the day!
Note: This is the eBook, NOT the Audiobook.
November 23, 2022
You Can’t Please Everybody
I think one of the biggest mistakes that a writer can make is trying to please everybody. This is especially true for genres like humour, fantasy, or science fiction where people can have very different ideas about what is good as well as very different ideas about what is or is not part of the genre. The important thing is to realise who you’re writing for and to write accordingly.
Take hard science fiction. Not everybody enjoys the attention to detail and realism present in most hard science f...
November 15, 2022
Thank You
Last Friday (11th of November), Cosmic Delivery Boy went on sale on Audible for $2.99. I had expected an increase in sales due to the sale… and, boy, did I get an increase.
Cosmic Delivery Boy managed to reach #2 on the best seller list for Audible Books and Originals.
Number two. In the entire store.
Not for its genre. Not for a particular sub-genre. But across the entire store across all Audible Books and Originals.
Were it not for the awe-inspiring might of Matthew Perry, it would have reache...
November 10, 2022
Cosmic Delivery Boy $2.99 On Audible Today!
If you haven’t yet given Cosmic Delivery Boy on Audible a chance, now is the time! For US Audible Premium Plus subscribers, Cosmic Delivery Boy is only $2.99 today (11/11/2025)!
Get it here.
If you’re wondering if you should give the audiobook a chance, you’ll never get a better opportunity! And if you’re already got it, tell your friends or anyone else you think might be interested!
