Last month, I stopped writing a novel mid-first draft. It was the first story I had quit in more than ten years. Was it a return of a much-maligned phase from my twenties, in which I seemed to quit more stories than I finished? Was my writing career over? Should I stop querying my novelContinue reading “It’s Okay to be a Quitter”
Tag Archives: horror
A Reintroduction
It’s been a year and a half since my latest post. What has happened in that span? Will this blog change? What does the future hold? Hopefully, you won’t have to wait a year and a half for my next post. Until then, remember to follow your dreams, even if they terrify you. Stephen Roth
Lessons Learned
Last month, I turned 38 years old. I submitted my first story for publication at 19; it was rejected. With nearly twenty years of trying (and mostly failing) in the books, I thought others could learn from my experience. It’s said that we learn more from our failures than our successes. It feels true inContinue reading “Lessons Learned”
A Horrifying Mind
I am in possession of a horrifying mind. It’s both a blessing and a curse to have thoughts that instantly turn to the dark and macabre side of life. While on vacation a few weeks ago, my 13-year-old daughter and niece of the same age played in the ocean jumping waves and drifting ever soContinue reading “A Horrifying Mind”
When Plans Change
As I write this I’m sitting propped up in bed, listening to midnight waves crash on the beach while my wife sleeps soundly beside me (I didn’t use the word snore, but thought it). Even on a family vacation the need to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard is a strong one. WhenContinue reading “When Plans Change”
First vs. third Person Point of View
Hello and Welcome back to the blog! This is the first blog post written from my new home office, which is actually a corner of our master bedroom. My old office, located in the basement, is in the process of being transformed into a bedroom so our eight-year-old can have her own room, escaping herContinue reading “First vs. third Person Point of View”
The Ramblings of a Writer Part 4
Hello and welcome back to the blog! There isn’t much news on my front this week. I’m still writing a short story involving vampires, thanks to some interruptions over the past week. Querying continues as well. I had a few varying thoughts on my mind, so this week we’ll skip the topical blog post inContinue reading “The Ramblings of a Writer Part 4”
The First Word
Hello and welcome back to the blog! I know it has been a while since my last post, and for that I must apologize. My intention had been to take a couple of weeks off as I wrapped up the first draft of a novel. A health scare with my wife extended that break aContinue reading “The First Word”
Daydreams & Time Machines
Hello and welcome back to the blog! From Darkness Comes… was queried to its twentieth literary agent this week. That’s half the total Breaking Character had in a year. Not bad for two months of querying. Of course, when you make sure to keep ten queries out in the world at once, well, the totalContinue reading “Daydreams & Time Machines”
Motivation
Hello and welcome back to the blog! You’ll have to excuse me for not posting last week. I’ll get to the reason for my absence towards the end of this post. For a brief period this week, I was contemplating doing a post on social media etiquette. I would have vented on people who deemContinue reading “Motivation”