Dictation and the Myth of the “Perfect First Draft” I’ve been experimenting with dictation again, and this time it’s working—mostly because I finally stopped asking it to do something it never could. The first time I used dictation, it worked beautifully for blog posts like this one. Factual…

Why Some Writers Stall After Early Success Early success is supposed to be motivating. A first publication. A contest win. A personal note from an editor you admire. These moments feel like proof: I can do this. And often, they are. But sometimes , that early success becomes a strange kind of…

Preparing for a Convention Panel (Without Losing Your Mind) Being invited onto a convention panel can be flattering—and surprisingly stressful. You want to sound smart. You want to contribute. You don’t want to freeze or ramble or realize halfway through that you have nothing useful to say. One of…

My first pro-rate sale of the year just went live - Anomaly Magazine. Been trying to crack that market for a while now. :) Microfiction (300 words). Dystopian medical SciFi. www.patreon.com/posts/deleti...

The Quiet Grief of the Story That Almost Worked Last year I had 10 'Holds' from magazines for short stories - but only one turned into an acceptance in the end. This taught me that there’s a particular kind of disappointment that doesn’t get talked about much in writing circles: the story that…

Excited to share, I am one of the ten finalists for the 2026 Jim Baen Memorial Prize #sciencefiction So honored!

Thank you @bfbzine.bsky.social for being such a great editorial team to work with!! My piece 'Honesty to a Vulture' in Issue 8 now online!! www.baublesfrombones.com/honesty-to-a...

Are There Really “Stages” to a Writer? People love labels. In writing circles we talk casually about beginners, emerging writers, mid-career authors, established voices. These terms get used as shorthand, but rarely do we stop to ask: what do they actually mean? For many people outside the writing…

Why “Write What You Love” Is Only Half the Advice “Write what you love” is some of the best writing advice you’ll ever hear—and also some of the most incomplete. And with Valentine's day coming, it seemed an apropos theme for today. On its own, the advice is freeing. It gives permission. It pushes…

Why Characters Matter More in Genre Fiction Writers often talk around a distinction between literary and genre fiction without ever quite naming it. To me, it hinges on the relative importance of theme vs character. In literary fiction, characters are expected to be fully realized,…

Had a great time at #MarsCon this weekend — thanks to everyone who came to the panels on magic systems, fighting in fiction, and science in SF. Really fun discussions.

Voice Isn’t Something You “Find”—It’s Something That Survives Revision Writers talk about voice the way people talk about buried treasure. As if it’s something hidden inside you, waiting to be uncovered if you just dig deeply enough. Find your voice. Trust your voice. Don’t lose your voice. That…

Year in Review 2025: A Year of Middle Grounds, Big Leaps, and Quiet Transformations For the last few years I’ve made a habit of writing a New Year's “Year in Review” post—a way to remind myself that even when the milestones aren’t the ones I once imagined, the work still matters, the trajectory…

Your Approach to Rejection Matters Less Than That you Risk it It’s often said that moving is one of life’s top stressors—right up there with divorce and death. Having endured a move earlier this year (complete with nightmare movers and chaos in cardboard), I can confirm that’s no exaggeration. But…

Just a quick heads up, as I am part of the slushers for Flash Fiction Online, the 2026 submission schedule just posted. Sharpen your pencils! (dust off your keyboards?) www.patreon.com/posts/2026-s...

When an Acceptance Turns Sour One of the most thrilling moments in a writer’s life is receiving that long-awaited yes—an acceptance letter after dozens, maybe hundreds, of rejections. It’s the kind of moment that’s meant to be savored, a bright spark of validation in a career often defined by…

Why Rejection Doesn’t Mean Your Story Is Bad As a slush reader for various speculative fiction magazines, I’ve learned one fundamental truth: taste is messy. It’s subjective, inconsistent, and often deeply personal. If you’ve ever submitted a story and been rejected in the first round, you’re in…

Thrilled to be in this anthology - not just because I loved the piece they accepted from me, but because its an awesome TOC of authors I admire!!

This is the magic of social media - I had no idea one of my fav authors had a new book coming out! Retweeting for others who loved the Pact and Pattern series and want more from the author :)

Free to read now, my strange little story that found its home at @crepuscularmag.bsky.social !

When Revision or Feedback Kills the Magic As a slush reader, one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve experienced is seeing a story I loved—a story that stood out from the pile, that felt fresh and alive—come back as an R&R (revise and resubmit)... and lose everything that made it special. It’s…

The Myth of the ‘One Piece of Advice’ To be succesful at writing, I've come to believe that its more your ability to juggle, than anything else that will help you. But there’s a peculiar myth that runs through popular culture—the idea that success boils down to one secret, one golden rule, one…

Thank you @crepuscularmag.bsky.social for giving voice to this little piece! I can't think of a better home for it :)

The Creative Power of Chaos: Why Randomness Makes Your Writing Stronger Writers love control. We plan plots, build worlds, craft character arcs, and agonize over word choice. Writing can feel like architecture—careful, precise, calculated. But sometimes, we need a little chaos. Enter randomness.…

Off to #dragoncon tomorrow to receive the Baen Fantasy Award! Very excited to meet the Baen folks as well as anyone from here who might be there! dragoncon.org

Writing Is Like Going to the Gym: Why It Gets Harder, Not Easier—and What to Do About It When you start going to the gym, it’s hard. Your muscles ache. You’re not in the habit, so every visit feels like a chore. But then—suddenly—it starts to click. You feel stronger. You might even look a little…

It's #QueerPit and my incredibly talented friend @abbookster.bsky.social has a great pitch - go go A.B. !

The Struggle of Long-Form Writing: How to Overcome Midway Meltdowns Earlier this year, I found myself hitting a wall with my longer writing projects. I don't mean my novels here, I'm referring to the longer short story, novelette territory. The same issue kept cropping up: I'd get to about 7,000…

Just got an acceptance from @crepuscularmag.bsky.social ! Very happy this strange little piece found a home. :)

I’ve written a lot of stories no one read This week, one of them got noticed Traitor to the Wolfguard Creed won the 2025 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award Thank you to everyone who’s encouraged me along the way. And to my fellow #writers Keep writing. Believe in yourself. Moments like this are gold :)

Still reeling, but thrilled to share—I’ve won the 2025 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award! This story is personal, and having it find a home at @baenbooks.bsky.social means the world to me. Eternal thanks to the judges and everyone who believed in it. 🐉⚔️✨ www.baen.com/pr-2025-fant...

When Is a Story Truly Done? Five years ago, when I sat down to write a short story, it was a different experience entirely. Back then, my main concern was the plot: What was the neat science idea? What was the twist? Once I had delivered a clean arc with a beginning, middle, and end, I called it…

Yay, I made finalist 😲 In disbelief but couldn't be happier 😀 congrats to all finalists, and all who entered, for being brave enough to put your work out there! www.baen.com/pr-fantasy-a...

The Power of Words Inside Your Brain Sometimes I find it hard to get started. Ironically, this happens most when I have too much time to write. You’d think a wide-open afternoon or a quiet weekend would be ideal—a golden opportunity to sink into the novel, churn out a short story, or finally…

Mastering Dialogue: Dos and Don’ts Writing dialogue can be one of the most challenging aspects of storytelling. Well-crafted dialogue brings characters to life, advances the plot, and engages readers. Poor dialogue drags, bores, disconnects your reader from your character and derails your reader's…

The Hidden Ground: Layers of Meaning in Storytelling When I paint, I begin with a ground—a foundational layer brushed across the canvas to prepare the surface. Sometimes it’s a neutral tone, sometimes a subtle color. You don’t see it in the final image, not exactly. But it’s there, affecting…

Another week, another drabble over at ‪@reachyourapex.bsky.social‬ 😀

How to Edit Like a Pro: Tips & Tricks Editing, is actually one of my favorite parts of writing. It’s where your rough draft is polished into something professional, compelling, and clear. But what is the best way to optimize your editing time? I've come to an approach through trial and error, and…

It's not quite in my aesthetic to write a story of rejoicing, but given that was the theme, I wrote one on the end of rejoicing ;)

The latest weekly drabbles are out over at @reachyourapex.bsky.social‬ Want to take part? Next weeks theme just got released 😀

My latest effort at the weekly drabble challenge over at @reachyourapex.bsky.social - come join!

Open House: On Strangers, Judgment, and the Writer’s Unease Today, strangers are walking through my house. They are peering into closets, glancing at the scuff marks on the stairs, maybe silently judging my taste in rugs or the fact that I’ve never fixed that one crooked cabinet door. I’m not…

Just a heads up that Master short story author and behind the scenes crewmember at Apex Mag, Kai Delmas, has bandwidth right now. You can check out his services for critiques and coaching sessions for writers over at his profile below :)

Here's my latest drabble with @reachyourapex.bsky.social‬ - check out their feed, they have new drabbles from different authors every week!

Keep the Habit: Why Writers Must Keep Writing (Even in the Gaps) One of the biggest dangers for a writer isn’t failure—it’s silence. Life has a way of crowding out creativity. Maybe it’s a high-pressure job, a move, a tough parenting stretch, or the illusion that you’ll "get back to it when things…

Like drabbles? ‪@reachyourapex.bsky.social has a prompt every week :) Try your hand if you like!

How to Pitch Non-Fiction to SFWA, BSFA Focus Magazine, and Other Speculative Fiction Venues A couple of people have asked me to write up some advice on this, so I thought 'Why not!'.... When we think about writing for the speculative fiction community, we often think of short stories, novels, and…

SFWA Guest Blog: “Successfully Talking to the Press About Your Art: Plot It, Don’t Pants It!” I have been fortunate to write guest blog posts before for SFWA on writing realistic science in science fiction, and then another one on using the psychological science utilized in video games to help you…

Thanks to @sfwa.bsky.social for this opportunity to share my thoughts!