It's been a while since I did a writing essay. In the meantime, I've spent a lot of time reading newer fantasy and science fiction best sellers award winners as well as listening to podcasts about writing and the publishing industry (like the Publishing Rodeo Podcast). This post is the results of all that writing, … Continue reading The Anatomy Of A Modern Science Fiction & Fantasy Best Seller
Category: Inspiration for Writers
Backman’s Second Law of Writing Success
It's not that long ago I wrote my first law of writing sucess. Now, I'm happy to announce that I have another "law" to follow up with. As with the first law, a billion people have probably had the same idea before me, and it really isn't all that profound. It's just my way of … Continue reading Backman’s Second Law of Writing Success
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared – Breaking the Rules with Comedy
First thing first, I absolutly loved The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared (despite it's ridiculosely long title; let's just call it The Book from now on). And before the comments section turns into a fist fight, no, I don't really think there are any rules to creative writing, but … Continue reading The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared – Breaking the Rules with Comedy
Gone Girl – Believe in the Characters
Word count: around 1.300 Fair warning: there'll be quite a few spoilers. I loved Gone Girl, and though luck always plays a part in these matters, I think it's success can to a very large part be contributed to the skill of the author, Gillian Flynn. The novel was suspenseful, thrilling, and Flynn used every … Continue reading Gone Girl – Believe in the Characters
Confirmation Bias and Self-delussion
Stepping out of your comfort zone, focusing on improving instead of getting praise. That's what drives us to become better artists. I highly recommend this brief article by Jason S. Riddler on confirmation bias, self-delussion, and how those leads to stagnation. It's worth a read to all us would-be writers (and other striving artists as … Continue reading Confirmation Bias and Self-delussion
Becoming a Professional Writer – The Odds Aren’t as Bad as You Think
A while back I tried to figure out what the chances of actually making it as a writer and turning it into a full time career was. Back then, I did some calculations based on how much money you'd have to make to get by, the yearly library earnings of Danish authors, and the population … Continue reading Becoming a Professional Writer – The Odds Aren’t as Bad as You Think
Toby Backman 