D. Thomas Minton
writes speculative fiction from his home in the mountains of British Columbia.
Tag Archives: Writing Craft
The Elevator Pitch Approach to Novel Editing
I finished a draft of a novel last December, and put it on the shelf to marinate for a while. One of my writing goals for 2012 is to revise and submit it, so for the last month or two, … Continue reading
Handling “The Hold”
Writing is about rejection. I think I’ve said it before, and I’m sure others have, too. Over 95% of all submissions are rejected—and the rejection rate at pro-rate publication is more like over 99%. Given this high rate of “failure,” how an … Continue reading
Maximizing Opportunity with My Mobile Office
Last week, I ran into a colleague I hadn’t seen in several years. During our catch-up, I mentioned that I had started writing and publishing fiction, which led him to ask how I found the time to do that. As … Continue reading
Past or Present: A Look at the Nebula Stories
A post I published a while ago about the use of present tense versus past in short fiction continues to attract readers. I guess this shouldn’t surprise me because the use of the “non-traditional” present tense seems to elicit strong opinions from…well…just about … Continue reading
Michael Haynes Interviews…Me
Michael Haynes interviewed me last week about my story “Observations on a Clock” and my writing process. The interview is now posted, so head over to Michael’s site and check it out. I will also be stopping by periodically to … Continue reading
Don’t Be Afraid to Break the Eggs
A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about past versus present tense, so when I came across a wish list of writing rules to break by Charlie Jane Anders at io9, I got a crazy, déjà vu feeling when I saw “No … Continue reading
Does (or Did) Tense Matter?
There seem to be unwritten rules about writing, particularly with regard to things like point of view and tense. I’ve had people tell me that stories should be written in the past tense instead of the present tense (or the future, for that … Continue reading
Three More “Rules for Writing”
In December, I published a post on Rules for Writing. I recently came across another “set” of rules from W. Somerset Maugham that put a smile on my face: “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows … Continue reading
Interview: Marc Schuster Discusses Writing
Last week, I posted part one of my interview with author Marc Schuster in which he discussed his forthcoming book, The Grievers. Today Marc discusses his approach to and thoughts on the craft of writing. Marc has also agreed to stop … Continue reading
On Improving the Craft
As an aspiring writer, I’m constantly looking to improve my writing. In addition to writing, writing, writing (and critiquing, critiquing, critiquing), I read whatever I can find about the craft of storytelling. There’s a lot of advice out there—some of it contradictory—but I … Continue reading
D. Thomas Minton 