L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 39

Progress Report 12-01-2020

Well, it’s a new year. However, the work of a writer is never done. Once I finish something, I usually give myself a week or two to slack off before I get back to work. So what exactly have I been doing?

I’ve been working on the second book in the Attempted Vampirism series. At the moment, the second draft has been completed, and it measures in at just over 60,000 words. This one is being a bit troublesome, however, so it might take a couple more drafts before I’m happy with everything.

I do...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful 2020.

Make Writing A Habit

One of the best ways to improve your writing is to make writing a habit.

Why?

It’s because writing is like a muscle: you can use it or lose it. It’s not uncommon for people to focus most of their attention on the more “technical” aspects of writing a story like the plot, the characters, the setting, and so on. However, the fact is that writing a story ultimately boils down to putting words on a page (or a computer screen). A writer must be able to string words together into sentences before...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and loving Christmas.

Secret Santa

Here is a little Christmas present for all of you. The characters in this snippet are fromThe Unconventional Heroes Series.

“Why do I have to be Santa?” Gerald asked.

Timmy patted the bureaucrat on the shoulder and gazed off into the distance. “Think of the children, Gerald. Think of how happy they’ll be to receive gifts. Think of how their smiles will light up their faces.”

“But why me?” Gerald really didn’t want to be the centre of attention, and playing the part of Santa would ensure that...

Australian Santa

In most places, Santa can look forward to a glass of milk and some cookies. Australia isn’t most places. Whether it’s killer koalas, deadly kangaroos, or rampaging wombats, there’s no shortage of murderous wildlife to worry about. If Santa is going to deliver presents to all the good boys and girls of Australia and emerge alive, he’s going to have to do things a little differently.

Santa raised his shotgun and fired. The 12 gauge slug struck the koala square in the middle of its chest. Any...

Landmarks vs Guard Rails

There are many different ways to develop the plot of a story. Today, I’d like to talk about two different approaches: the landmark approach and the guard rail approach.

The easiest way to think about the landmark approach is to imagine you’re navigating through the wilderness without a compass or other equipment. How are you supposed to stay on track? Well, assuming you can’t rely on the stars for help, the easiest way is to navigate using landmarks. For example, you might start off by...

The Way of the Rat

The ninja rats fromThe Unconventional Heroes Series are some of the most popular characters in the story. Hailing from a distant land, these cunning rodents are gifted in the ancient arts of stealth, assassination, and explosions – as well as a host of other things.

However, they were a relatively late addition to the first story,Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf. When I was tossing around ideas for the story, I knew that I wanted the two titular necromancers to have minions. What...

What’s In A Name?

Names are interesting things. Quite often, they form part of a reader’s first impressions of a character, and first impressions do matter. Choosing the right name can not only entertain your readers but also add another dimension to how they perceive your characters.

Let’s start off with an example some of you are probably familiar with: Spot fromThe Unconventional Heroes Series. Spot is a dragon, but is Spot the sort of name you’d normally expect a dragon to have? Not really, but I didn’t...

My Traditional Publishing Experience

One of the things I’m asked about from time to time is whether or not I’ve considered going the more traditional publishing route. Today, I’d like to talk a bit about that. However, before I get started, I’d just like to point out that everything I’m about to say is based on my own experience. If traditional publishing is something you want to pursue or if it’s something that is already working for you, then that’s fantastic. You do you. But if it’s not, then perhaps you can find a bit of...