It is the first day of December, a day I think of as a sort of literary groundhog day. Each December 1st, a large contingent of aspiring novelists come out of their NaNoWriMo caves, blinking in the sunlight, surprised to find that the world is still there. For many, this is a day in which…Read more NaNoWriMo: How to extend an imaginary deadline
Inspiration
Where I’m at and Where I’m Going
Writing and I have a long history together. Best friends through grade school and high school, sometimes my only companion through hard times. We were like this (holds up two fingers, crossed) long nights spent over the scratching pencils and clicking keys, pouring reams of paper into the inferno of our love affair. We seemed…Read more Where I’m at and Where I’m Going
A Literate World
Outside of my family, there are two people who inspired me to become a writer: Jim Henson and Dr Seuss. But that would have been a meaningless dream if there had not been someone inside my family who told me it was okay if I wanted to write that novel... as long as I got my homework…Read more A Literate World
A sense of place
It seems counter-intuitive, but writing is a visual medium. Authors have the delightful task of imagining vivid worlds, peopling them with interesting characters, and then inviting readers to join us for an adventure in our own peculiar land beyond the wardrobe. We can see it so very clearly in our heads, and we just want to take you…Read more A sense of place
WRITE A NOVEL IN THREE EASY STEPS!
It is November and you know what that means: Writing advice season has begun. It seems to get here earlier every year. The stores are stacked with new keyboards and copies of Bird by Bird. The interwebs are humming with tweets tagged #amwriting and Pinterest boards are filling up with pictures of typewriters and inspirational quotes, some…Read more WRITE A NOVEL IN THREE EASY STEPS!
NaNoWriMo: A Significant Wordcount Event Is Imminent
Memo from the Department of Literary Security To: All Potential Authors & Interested Parties RE: Literary Alert Level Tango The Secretary has been monitoring internet traffic on sites frequented by wordsmiths and detected elevated levels of activity among literary agents provocateurs from the Office of Letters & Light. It is our determination that this uptick in chatter…Read more NaNoWriMo: A Significant Wordcount Event Is Imminent
Gene Wilder – My Favorite Mad Scientist
On Monday, we lost the great writer and comedic actor Gene Wilder. The world lost a paragon of gentle silliness and I lost a particularly inspirational figure in my own life. There were many influences that contributed to the writing of Howard Carter Saves the World, ranging across the spectrum from Jim Henson to John Carter…Read more Gene Wilder – My Favorite Mad Scientist
Scott Perkins, Author 