(note: this was originally a twitter thread. You can read the original thread here.) Since it's easier to solve other people's problems than your own, I procrastinated on my own scene problems to listen to another writer's dilemma about which book to write next. What follows is a trick for figuring out what you should… Continue reading What’s Your Next Book? The Brightest Timeline Knows.
Author: clpolk
I write fantasy and romance novels.
How to Brainstorm Scene Location Details from a Panic-stopping Technique
(This blog post was originally a thread on twitter, rewritten to be a decent blog post.) The first scene I need to write today takes place in a new setting location. For new setting locations I write up descriptions that I can use not just as backdrop but as elements to bring the reality of… Continue reading How to Brainstorm Scene Location Details from a Panic-stopping Technique
A Visual Guide to a Reverse Outline
107k Words. 76 Scenes. 16 Pages. What you're looking at is an essential document for the complex operation that is transforming my first draft into a revised draft. It's scary, isn't it? I like to think that it's beautifully organized. That's the entire scene by scene outline of the first draft of Stormsong - don't… Continue reading A Visual Guide to a Reverse Outline
What to do When You’re Done
Wall of text incoming; wear protective gear. You're finished your manuscript. You've put it away, and you've done extensive revisions. It's ready. You're pretty sure it's ready for the hunt for an agent. What do you do now? This is partly what I did, and also partly what I learned while in the querying process.… Continue reading What to do When You’re Done
Two Books without Music: My Persnickety Playlist Needs
There's something really unusual about the creation process of both Witchmark and its sequel, Stormsong: they were mostly written in silence. I'm usually a playlist maker. I usually write to music, a habit that sparks debate among writers about whether sound or silence is the better environment. Now with my fanfic, I was forever making… Continue reading Two Books without Music: My Persnickety Playlist Needs
Witchmark – Pre-Order Now
C. L. Polk arrives on the scene with Witchmark, a stunning, addictive fantasy that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance. In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only… Continue reading Witchmark – Pre-Order Now
Doing it backwards
Sometimes it's hard to figure out how to yoke your Character arc to the external plot. When I'm planning, I have a series of questions I ask myself when I'm making sure that I have the right character for the shiny plot idea I figured out, but when I'm making sure that the arc hangs… Continue reading Doing it backwards
The #onebookjuly Challenge!
... start the month of July with the basics: One Book. One Pen. See where it takes you. And I read that, and thought to myself, *Oh hecking darn.*
Daily Logging – a 30 Day BulletJournal Experiment
I am not a planner. I'm a recorder. So, why not record what I did, to build a journaling habit?
My Knitting Attention Span is Terrible
Up there is the beginnings of a very simple shawl - once you get past the fiddly cast on, it's the definition of mindless. Stockinette in the round, with very occasional increase rounds, to make a huge circle out of any yarn you want. I chose a cashmere laceweight yarn for mine, but you can… Continue reading My Knitting Attention Span is Terrible
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