J.D. Moyer

science fiction author, beatmaker, against fascism

Category: Writing Page 7 of 19

Word Craft #6: Michael Haspil

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On March 28, 2019

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

As a fellow RPG enthusiast and miniature painter, I can relate to Tor author Michael Haspil. A few things stuck out and especially impressed me from Haspil’s responses, including:

  • Good discipline in regards to suppressing impulses to revise or fact-check while getting the first draft down (I need to work on this).
  • Redundant and systematic backup (I do this too).
  • The use of FATE dice, StoryForge cards, and Nordic runes for inspiration and brainstorming — great idea!

Please welcome Michael Haspil to Word Craft.

-JD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.

I’ve been a storyteller all my life. A large part of what made me want to become a writer came from attending military school at New York Military Academy. There, my friends and I played a lot of role-playing games and even made up our own. The school had its own small literary magazine and I submitted some stories. People adored them and that really helped me. I continued writing short stories for my high school magazine “Slant of Light” and I even placed in a couple of writing competitions too. Then I joined the Air Force and, regrettably, I put my pen away for a while. Glad to have picked it back up, though.

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Word Craft #5: Betsy Dornbusch

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On March 12, 2019

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

Up until now Word Craft has exclusively featured my fellow Flame Tree Press authors, but this week I’m officially opening Word Craft to authors with other publishers. Please welcome Betsy Dornbusch to Word Craft! I enjoyed reading her honest responses and I can relate to many of them, especially managing to succeed at writing despite the many distractions life offers.

Those who have read the previous Word Craft Q&A’s may notice that my questions are evolving, and that process will continue. I’ve also added a new “Additional Reading” section at the bottom — previous posts I’ve written that relate to the author’s responses in some way.
-J.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.

I wrote since fourth grade  and took creative writing in college, but life got in the way and I quit. Then after the birth of my second child I started writing a book I’d been noodling for years. That turned into Archive of Fire, my first novel published in 2012.

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Word Craft #4: Brian Trent

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On February 25, 2019

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

New England author Brian Trent writes both science fiction and fantasy. He’s an early riser who gets his 5-6 hours of writing started at 5 a.m., which by my math means the work whistle goes off no later than 11 in the morning — not a bad lifestyle! But of course a writer’s work is never done. Please welcome Brian Trent to Word Craft!
-J.D.

ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOOK

Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.

Writing has been in my blood since I was very young—I still have the wordless illustrated comics I used to draw when I was in my single digits. The desire to tell stories was there at the beginning, to create worlds I could play in. As I got older, I realized that I could also use stories as little laboratories to examine anything I wanted: different narrative techniques, unique characters, the potential impact of a speculative technology on the world, the potential development of society in the future.

Science fiction is still my preferred sandbox. I do write fantasy, history, and horror, but I’ve always been drawn to the rational structures and extrapolative methodology of sci-fi.

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Word Craft #3: Adrian Laing

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On February 4, 2019

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

Fellow Flame Tree author Adrian Laing has been in the world of authors and publishers for years as the in-house lawyer at HarperCollins UK, and has also penned a number of popular nonfiction titles. Please welcome Adrian Laing to Word Craft!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself.

Author and barrister Adrian Laing

I am a lawyer by training; a qualified barrister and solicitor. I have been writing professionally since 1983 when my first legal article was published and have written many legal articles and co-authored three leading textbooks currently published by Bloomsbury Professional. I am married with five children.

I first ventured out of legal works after my father died in 1989 and wrote a biography of him which I can see retrospectively was my way of validating my self-perception not only as a lawyer but a writer. The research for that work was extensive and the process of interviewing many people over a considerable period of time, was very much a ‘writing experience’.

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Word Craft #2: Daniel M. Bensen

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On January 18, 2019

In Fiction Writing, Word Craft Series, Writing

Daniel Bensen’s science fiction novel Junction was just released on January 10th (Flame Tree Press). I can relate to Daniel because my wife is also my first and best reader. I can’t relate to Daniel because I never “draw little pictures of where everyone is and how they move around” (though I’m intrigued by the idea).

I hope you enjoy Word Craft #2! I plan on continuing the series with at least one post a month (in addition to my other content).

-J.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an English teacher and I live in Sofia Bulgaria with my family in the Balkan Tower of Matriarchy. Ruled by my wife’s grandmother on the 1st floor, the Tower of Matriarchy stretches four stories into the air and five generations into filial insanity. We go through a ton of yogurt, and you could eat the drama with a spoon, but there’s always someone when you need them.

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