Hello writers! Today is going going to be a bit different here at Being a Better Writer. While we're going to link to a classic post below the jump and at the bottom of the post, the real attraction today isn't a post, but rather a live question and answer session held on the Makalay Camp (the site's Discord). That's right, you'll be able to hear the sound of my voice answering your writing questions.

Hey folks. Not too much to report on the news end of things. I'm doing some closing work on the draft of A Pirate Planet (I got so excited to reach the end I forgot I'd dropped markers for some interlude/flashback chapters, and now I've been writing those), so I haven't quite started editing work on Axtara 3 yet. Next week, then, as there are only two interludes left to go (and the interludes are shorter than full chapters).

Welcome back, writers! Monday is here, and with it another installment of Being a Better Writer! As usual, there's last week's news post to check out, so if you'd like to do that (and I recommend it, obviously), that link is here. Unfortunately for you, if Monday is the only time you see these, then you missed out on an event this last weekend.

Hey folks! Max here with a somewhat late Friday news update! Was taking care of personal stuff, so sorry for the delay. So, what's new? Well I'll give you a clue: That title was not about book piracy (not that it's nonexistent). No, it's about book piracy. Okay, enough games with words. This week was the final battle of…

Welcome once again writers, to Being a Better Writer! A weekly source of writing advice and guidance on every topic under the sun. Seriously, check our archives, or try a search. The library is over ten years deep, so there's a lot to find! Also, if you're actually here, instead of reading this piecemeal through AI theft, thank you! We appreciate you stopping by.

Hey folks, Max here with this week's news post. Which ... isn't delivered from the most comfortable of moments. Most of you probably don't know that I've fought a war against back pain for a good chunk of my life. When I was young I injured my back in a way that pinched a nerve, and it wasn't until I was in college that I realized anything was wrong.

Yes, this is a repost of a segment from last Friday's news post. I bundled the news with an OP-ED, and well, the internet happened. So this one's getting its own post now. I've not done a full Op-Ed (short for "Opinion-Editorial" post on this site in a while, but there's been enough going on with the absolutely devastating growth of "AI" (not…

Welcome back writers! Today we're clocking in on a pretty interesting topic, and so I'm both excited to see your reactions as well as to share it. Oh, and it's probably not what you think. But, as usual, before I do I'd like to point you toward last Friday's news post, which was a double-feature. Not only was it the usual collection of news, it also was the first OP-ED I've written in a while.

Hey there folks! It's Friday, so I'm kicking things into gear with a news post made to let you all know what's gone on this week. Which is ... Basically just writing work. A lot of it. Work continued forward on A Pirate Planet, which continues its rush toward the end. There's only one conflict left, and that's the final conflict, our protagonist trying to figure out how she's going to come out of it alive and save everyone else at the same time.

Welcome back writers to another installment of Being a Better Writer! We've got an interesting topic to cover today, one that's going to ... Well, it's going to turn a few heads. Some with nods, others with unhappiness. You'll have to forge ahead to see why, but ... Well, let's just say it's related to a current topic of contention that's swept through multiple creative communities.

No, that's not a typo in the title, no matter what an autocorrect program might say. Because all of this week, for me, has been focused on getting more done with A Pirate Planet. And progress has indeed been made—which reminds me, I should update the Current Projects page again—as the draft passed both 170,000 words and the big twist and reveal.

Welcome back, writers! It's Monday, and that means it's time for Being a Better Writer. But before we dive into today's topic, I do have a somewhat unfortunate bit of news that needs to be discussed, and some of you aren't going to like it. It's about AI, and how it's killing Being a Better Writer. See, Being a Better Writer…

I know where I was going with that title, but I'm not certain it landed right. Oh well. Can't win them all. So, it's done! After a flurry of promotion, discussion, and anticipation, I've release two new books in the last month. Blood Less Vile in September, and The Phoenix just this last Tuesday. And now ... they're out! Which leads to once again, the shall we say "fugue state" that follows a book release.

It's here! That's right, today is September 16th, which means The Phoenix has arrived at last. Phew! What a wait, right? The longest, I think, for any of my books ever. If you've been a long-time fan, that is. You can grab your copy now if you didn't pre-order by clicking that cover above! And that's almost it. But if you're wondering about the "longest" comment above, want to celebrate the release, ask what's next, etc, then you should know I'm doing (as usual) a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" over on that site.

"I, at any rate, am convinced that does not throw dice."—Albert Einstein “The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.”—Robert Coveyou Welcome back, writers. It's time for another installment of Being a Better Writer and—what's that? I need to mention what's happening tomorrow first? And after that lead-in with the quotes? The dice say "Yes!" so we're doing it.

Well folks, this is it. The final preview for The Phoenix. To read more, you're just going to have to buy the book! Which, fortunately for you, is only $5.99 and comes out in three days. New here? Seeing this for the first time? The Phoenix is an Urban-Fantasy Mystery about a man who cannot die trying to solve his own…

Yes, this is a news post, but really. Why wouldn't I talk about The Phoenix when it's coming out in a few days? That is the big part of the news this week. So yeah, a little more detail if you need it. It comes out September 16th. It's $5.99. You can pre-order it here, read the first two chapters…

Ladies and gentlemen, The Phoenix is almost here. That's right, my eleventh book, an Urban-Fantasy Mystery about a man who cannot die trying to solve his own murder, drops September 16th! This one is a lot of fun, folks. But you don't have to take my word for it. You can read the first few chapters here on the site already: …

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