In my spare time I write fiction, and I like to listen to medieval and/or fantasy-inspired ambient music while doing so. Here are a few songs and playlists that get me going.
Tag: Writing and Rhetoric
Three Modern Fantasy Authors on the Art of World Building
Insights from three critically-acclaimed authors of fantasy fiction about the intricacies of world building. World building is cool and fun, but it's anything but easy. It takes you to the heart of culture and human nature.
Writing Inspiration: A Castle, a Town, and Two Landscapes
Some paintings that have inspired me over the past few weeks as I scribble away in my spare time.
Do Technical Writers Dream of Arbortext Editor?
Arbortext Editor is a software program that lets you do "structured writing"---a special kind of writing in which every piece of content you compose follows one or more predefined rules. In theory this helps writers to develop consistent, high-quality content. The problem is that the tool has a lot of serious shortcomings. Here's my wishlist of things to improve.
Diana Gabaldon on Writing, Parenting, and Time
As an aspiring author and dad whose scarcest resource is time, I was motivated by a recent interview with Diana Gabaldon, author of the 'Outlander' series. She speaks candidly about outlining, parenting, and writing at midnight.
Writing Inspiration: Architectural Capriccio by Filippo Juvarra
In 'Steal Like an Artist,' Austin Kleon encourages artists of all stripes to curate a collection of whatever captures their imagination, whether pictures, movies, books, quotes, etc.---things that resonate powerfully with your personal artistic tastes. In that spirit, I recently added something to my collection that I think other writers of fiction might appreciate, and in particular writers of fantasy fiction.
Dungeons and Dragons and Historical Memory
The reason I first got into Dungeons and Dragons was to use my imagination to go on Tolkien-esque quests, and to get ideas for fantasy fiction stories I would like to write one day. I achieved both of these goals: D&D is a wellspring of inspiration for fantasy writers, and an excellent narrative testing ground for anyone brave enough to try their hand at being a Dungeon Master. But looking back I can also see how the game allowed me and my friends to encounter our mythical western roots. We weren't just goofing off and having fun (though there was plenty of that), we were accessing what James Poulos calls our "historical memory."
Words Are the Supreme Objects
Martin Silenus in 'Hyperion' waxes poetic on the unique power of words, and quotes Russell Bertrand along the way: “Language serves not only to express thought but to make possible thoughts which could not exist without it.”
My Article from STC Intercom: Designing Wiki Templates for Today’s Web
Last November I published an article in Intercom, a magazine produced by the Society for Technical Communication. It was paywalled at the time, but the exclusive rights period has since expired so I have copied it here. Synopsis: A regular part of the technical writer's job is to design document templates that help others jumpstart the writing process. How do our template design strategies change as more documentation moves from the print medium to web browsers and mobile devices?
I Wrote a Dull Story: Lessons in Writing Failure
A few months ago when the annual Writer's Digest short story contest came around, I decided to take a break from novel writing, revive an old short story, and submit it for the competition. It didn't place, and looking back, I can see why. The story was dull.
