Starting Anew

Being a Better Writer: When To Start Over

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Welcome writers! To another installment of Being a Better Writer. One written off the cuff with no planned topic from a Topic List!

Why? Well, because there currently isn’t a Topic List. #28 is dried up, and #29 is being worked on! Speaking of which, if you’d like to see a topic covered in a future Being a Better Writer post, head on over here and let us know!

In fact, you should check out that link anyway, as it’s last week’s news post. We talk about stuff like what’s going on and what’s coming up. You know, what you would expect from a news post. Still, you should check it out, as there’s stuff to get excited for! Like LTUE 2026! Or Shipbreakers! What are those? Go check the post!

Done that? Caught up? All right, now that you’ve done that, you can probably see where the inspiration for this post came from.

But … I’ll restate it, because I know no matter what some of you are never going to click that link, and it does offer some context.

Side note: Sad truth, but a surprising number of would-be writers are extremely averse to the act of reading. Unsurprisingly, none ever move from “would-be writers” to “authors.”

So two weeks ago as of this post, I made a decision: I needed to scrap the entire 25,000 words I’d done so far on my current project, working title Shipbreakers. It wasn’t working.

Okay, that’s unfair. It was … okay. But “okay” is not enough in my book. It lacked a spark. It lacked … zing.

Okay, I can tell you what it really lacked, but that’d be diving deeper into this post, and we need to start from the top. Hit the jump, and let’s talk about when it’s time to start over.

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Being a Better Writer: And Then They Woke Up

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Welcome writers, to the first Being a Better Writer post of 2026! We’re back at last, and as usual, we’ve got a pretty interesting writing topic for you that lines up well with the New Year and likely what are many peoples’ new projects.

Really quickly, if you’d like to go catch up on the news, last Friday’s post has you covered. Hit the link here to go check that out, we talk about some new projects of our own, as well as the latest on Axtara 3.

But with that said, we’re going to dive into today’s topic, which I’ll venture a number of you are feeling pretty curious about, given that title. Were I a betting man (or dragon), I’d put money that a fair portion of that number have guessed that it was going to be about endings, referencing the “and it was all a dream” ending that’s so (most of the time rightfully) mocked.

But it isn’t. Sorry, folks, we’re not talking about endings. We’re talking about beginnings today. The other area in fiction that often begins with a “And then they woke up.”

Hit the jump. Let’s talk about opening a story.

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Classic Being a Better Writer: Common Stumbles of New Projects

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Hey writers! Welcome back! We are on the last days of our vacation here on the site (even if it is a staycation in many respects) and celebrating the New Year, so this week is once more a visit from a Classic Being a Better Writer post of yesteryear.

However, as the last two posts have dug nearly a decade into our archives, today we’re looking at something that is somewhat more recent. We’re digging into the first post of a New Year years ago to talk about common roadblocks and issues with new projects. Fitting, no?

So hit that jump, and we’ll be back with a new BaBW installment next Monday.

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Being a Better Writer: Some Creative Writing Exercises To Get You Rolling

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Welcome writers, to Being a Better Writer! We’re kicking off this week with a bit more of a hands-on discussion. Almost a presentation, but if you’ll bear with me I hope to thread the needle between the two pretty well.

A lot of what Being a Better Writer presents is writing advice and guidance. We talk here about how to balance subplots, how to pace out a book, how to bring characters to life. We also talk about nuts-and-bolts sort of stuff: Use of dialogue tags, or paragraph structure. When and where to use proper grammar (almost always). Editing. Stuff like that.

But sometimes we dig into the more “brainstormy” stuff. We talk about worldbuilding. Design. Coming at ideas from new places. We even once talked about building character sheets.

Well, today is one of those days when we, as a rarity, talk about the more esoteric end of brainstorming. By a “sort of” request, we’re going to talk about creative writing exercises. A number of them, actually.

Now we’ve talked about writing exercises before. But then we’ve usually dug into specific exercises for specific purposes, such as writing scenery or challenging ourselves to come up with new descriptors. Today is much more general than that. Today, Being a Better Writer is going to present several different brainstorming exercises that are just about getting your mind working creatively. To come up with the basics of a narrative, or a character, a setting—or preferably all of those things—to serve as the grounds for a story.

Consider today’s post one of cultivation, and we’re talking about seeding your mental garden with a variety of seeds to see what springs up. Today, we’re going to look at various writing exercises that are designed to prompt you into new ideas and new avenues.

Oh, and you should check out the latest news post too. Open that link in a new tab and then come back to it later, because we’re already rolling here.

Hit the jump, and let’s look at some creative writing exercises to get your brain firing.

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Classic Being a Better Writer: The Death Spiral

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Hey there, writers! It’s Labor Day, which usually means I take the day off and don’t post anything for Being a Better Writer. But this year, only one of those things is true! Yes, I’m still taking the day off—I did over 80,000 words worth of work last month, so I do feel I deserve a small break—but rather than just wish everyone a happy Labor Day, I’m dropping a classic Being a Better Writer post anyway so that the studious reader is still rewarded! After all, with 10+ years worth of archives to dig through, there are a lot of posts to revisit. Maybe it’s time to look back at some that didn’t get quite as much attention, you know?

Save that today we’re totally not doing that. The Death Spiral is one of those posts that constantly sees hits as well as requests from folks online to drop a link so they can check it out. It’s linked by no fewer than eleven other BaBW posts. It’s not exactly unknown.

But that’s because it covers some pretty important writing skills, plus has an attention-grabbing name. Never once, however, has it been the focus of a Classic BaBW post.

So today we rectify that. The original text starts below. Enjoy your labor day, and enjoy the read.

BUT FIRST … a quick word on Labor Day: If you’re in the US, don’t forget what it’s in celebration and memoriam of. Memorial Day, which is honored with much patriotism across the country. Flags and social media posts about remembering fallen soldiers who secured US freedom.

Memorial Day is meant to honor fallen workers who secured labor protections and freedom and paid for it in many cases with their lives. Whose families were shot, bombed, gasses with chemical weapons, and dynamited by employers who epitomized the very worst kinds of greed. Workers who fought back against them, and secured protections for themselves and families for the freedoms those same soldiers were fighting externally.

Don’t forget what Labor Day is about. When we do, it emboldens those who would like to bring those days back. And they’re quite prominent right now.

Now, that aside, on with the show.

So, about that topic. As I mentioned, it may seem like an odd title for the first post of 2017. After all, “death spiral” doesn’t exactly imbue much confidence, does it?

No. It doesn’t. Which is exactly why I think it makes a good topic for the first post of 2017. Because for many young writers, a death spiral is something they get trapped in with no idea of how to get out. And for the new year? Nothing could be better for some of those writers than realizing it and breaking free.

Right, enough pontificating. Let’s dive right in and answer the question on so many minds right about now: what is a death spiral?

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Being a Better Writer: Editing As You Write – When To Work and When To Let Be

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Welcome once again writers! How are you all doing this Monday morning! I hope you’re ready to talk writing, because we’ve got a solid topic to discuss today. A reader request, in fact!

But first, let’s get what little news there is out of the way, shall we? Work has begun on The Phoenix, and it’s already moving along at a decent clip. In the meantime, Axtara – Magic and Mischief is waiting on a cover. And now that I’ve gotten settled into a decent groove, I can start working on the hardcover/print formatting as well.

Now, I do have some somewhat unfortunate news to tie into things, related to the family disaster that took place a few months ago (here’s the link if you don’t know what I’m referring to, but I warn you that this is … heavy). Here’s the thing: Book sales run on inertia. If I stop posting for a week? I see a corresponding slump in my sales. I’m not nearly big enough that my sales have reached critical mass and are self-sustaining regardless of what I do.

Some of you are already connecting the dots to where this is headed, as I spent twelve weeks in Alaska during that disaster, disconnected and dealing with other stuff. My sales cratered during that time. Plus I missed the original release date for Magic and Mischief.

Ultimately, what this means is that my finances are now in pretty bad shape. My outcome is exceeding my income, no matter how hard I stretch it. And while my sales have recovered some of that inertia, they’ve yet to get back to where they were (recovering inertia is a lot harder than losing it).

Basically, I’m going to have to start looking for side work to make ends meet. Which means my writing time will take a hit.

“But Max,” some of you may say (because I’ve been in this scenario before), “surely you can do this without cutting into your writing time. How important, really, is having a social life? Or hobbies? You can cut those and still make the same quotas, right?”

I’m really not exaggerating there, guys. I’ve been in a financial tight spot before and had some really, shall we say, inhumane and self-centered responses to things.

But no. Been there cutting it all, done that. I spent several years some time ago having no social life, working six days a week putting in sometimes 14 hours or more a day. And what happened? First, this is America, so I really didn’t make any more money. And second I was miserable.

So yeah, things are going to have to slow down when this takes effect, even if only for a few months. And if you’d rather that not happen, well … I’m sorry. If you’d like to help, there are some options: become a Patreon Supporter, or spread the word about my books in hopes that things pick back up for me (tell friends, tell the web, post reviews, etc).

I realize this news sucks. And I know some of you may be upset or indignant about it (you would not believe some of the nasty messages I got the last time I was in a tight spot, including one that said it hoped I became homeless because it would be ‘a better for me as a person and would give me more time to write’). But there’s a real simple equation behind this: Income must be greater than outcome. Income>outcome.

Now, be aware I ain’t exactly living a high life, folks. I cook my own meals from scratch and even then I go “Oh, a sale on beans!”

This doesn’t mean Being a Better Writer will be slowing down. At least, not for now. Those I can get done in advance. But … It does mean my writing will have to take a hit until things recover. I’m not even sure what I’m going to be doing yet, I just see the writing on the wall for what it is, and what’s coming down the path if I can’t recover.

So yeah, sorry, bad news. But … I can’t avoid it. I knew during those twelve weeks that I was doing a ton of damage to my sales inertia, but stayed anyway because … well …

Oh, and if you’re one of those trollish folks who’s going to message me about how maybe I shouldn’t have stayed for those twelve weeks taking care of things because you want more writing to read right now … Don’t. Just don’t. Same if you’re going to talk about how “homelessness will be good for me” or some other crap like that. Don’t.

I’ve stretched things as far as I can, and done as much as I can regaining that lost momentum, but it’s not quite enough. So I’m looking for a good side income, and until I no longer need it, there will be a shift in content delivery around here. I don’t like it. I don’t want to do it … but I also need to be able to eat. And have a place to live.

Anyway, more on that as things get more concrete. I know it’s unwelcome news, but at the end of the day … Income>outcome. If it’s the other way around, something has to give.

All right. I apologize for taking up so much of the news post with that. If you’re upset that you had to read about my financial straits well … Tough. That’s the news. But we’re done talking about it now. News over. So now we can talk about today’s topic.

Editing as you go. And this topic? Well … It’s a tough one. Hit that jump, and let’s dig in.

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Being a Better Writer: Retellings

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Hello again, writers! Welcome back to Being a Better Writer! It’s Monday once more and that means that it’s time for us to dive into our Topic List again and see what we’ve got to discuss!

Which today should be interesting, as it’s a reader requested topic that can sometimes be a hot topic of discussion among young writers and writing forums, even when it really shouldn’t be outside of a few specific key approaches we’ll get to in a moment.

But first, just so you’re aware, there is an active Beta Call going for Axtara – Magic and Mischief. No, that isn’t yet the final title, but it’s the best alternative I’ve found, and I’m trying it out to see how it rolls off the tongue. Anyway, if you’re interested in trying out being a Beta Reader, head over to last Friday’s post and take a look at what’s there.

Oh, and don’t forget that this coming Friday will be the posting of the first part of A Trial for a Dragon, a story set in Axtara universe starring non other than her own brother. It’s not a prequel, not quite, but it is a side story that will tie in to Magic and Mischief. And you’ll be able to read it right here, for free, each Friday until it’s complete.

Got it? Okay, good! Now let’s talk writing from the angle of creation, rather than consumption. Let’s get down to business with today’s topic. Which, as I already noted, can be somewhat of a contentious topic in some circles, oddly enough. Especially when some of those circles are fanfiction circles, which have a hefty plethora of stories dedicated to “Let’s retell my favorite show/game/book/comic but with one small tweak.” One would think retellings of other stories would see more slack given amid such surroundings, but …

Well, we’ll discuss it. Along with other aspects of storytelling to be aware of or consider … when you set out to create a story that’s a retelling. So hit that jump, and let’s talk writing.

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Coming Back Around

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It’s been a strange last couple of weeks. You may have noticed that there wasn’t a Being a Better Writer post on Monday, which was consequence of two things. First, that it was a holiday (President’s Day) and I seized on that with no small amount of fervor, but second, that I’d had LTUE the week before.

Oh, and a massive fever. Yeah, my prediction about not having the the time or energy to write-up my LTUE experience came true with explosive fashion when I woke up the Wednesday morning with a fever of nearly 103. By Thursday morning—the first day of LTUE—I’d gotten it down to 101, but I still wasn’t in any shape to attend the con.

Long story short, the fever broke the next morning, and I attended the second day of LTUE with a nice face mask on the off chance I was still contagious. Made it to the signing and everything, as well as panels the next day.

A quick side-note on the signing: Not only did I sign a number of books, I also signed one twice when a fan came back and extended to me a copy of Axtara I’d signed last year, asking me if I would sign it again. Which was definitely a first.

Look, though I sadly missed about half of it due to my fever, LTUE was still exactly what I needed. Life hasn’t quite been normal since the events of November, and I’ve very clearly been trying to figure out how to fit the pieces back together since returning from Alaska. I’m not trying to defend the time off I’ve taken—I needed it, and badly. But LTUE’s writing discussion and energy really felt like something I needed. More than anything these last few weeks it made me want to write.

Is this post still a little scattered because I’m a little scattered? Well … yes. It’s going to be a bit of work to get my mind back in the groove. But attending LTUE was really good for making my mind long for that working groove once again. No, more than that … It made me want to dive back in. Maybe with a safety line in case things feel a bit over my head but.

I think I’m done resting, guys. It’s time to put things back in gear.

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Being a Better Writer: Designing Alternatives to “Generic” Fantasy

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Welcome back writers to another installment of Being a Better Writer! Second one on the new schedule, no less. Which does mean that there’s not a lot of news to discuss (as by my clock, the news post was just the other day), so we’re skipping that whole rigmarole now and just diving right in. I’m sure most of you won’t find that objectionable at all.

On the other hand, I really want to get back to work on the ending for Axtara – Magic and Mayhem. So I’m going to try and write this post as quickly and directly as possible.

So then, let’s get right to it. Today we’re talking about designing alternatives to “Generic” Fantasy. And I realize that some might find that term a little grating or annoying, but please understand it is not meant in a negative fashion. I’m using it in the same way I would purchase generic medicine or generic brand foods. It isn’t a mark against the subject, but rather a truthful admission that when you look a “Generic Fantasy” you know exactly what you’re getting. Much in the same way you know exactly what you’re getting if you purchase generic aspirin or kleenex.

But let’s save that, along with the rest of the post, for after the jump, just so we’re not clogging things up and can take a more direct avenue to our discussion. So hit that jump, and let’s talk about Generic Fantasy, and how you can design alternatives to it.

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Being a Better Writer: How To Use AI Like ChatGPT To Write Your Story

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Hoo boy. This is going to be an unpopular post to say the least. It’s topical, it’s a hot-button issue, and there are people who already feel extremely passionate about it for varying reasons. But because of how topical it is, and the wave of questions about it I’ve personally seen sweeping writing forums, that’s the topic we’re tackling today on Being a Better Writer. And we’re diving right into it. Even as posters rev up their keyboards to shout at me in the comments about how wrong I am (some, undoubtedly loading up ChatGPT to write those very responses), before even getting this far in the article. So yeah, we’re just starting. We’re going headfirst right in. And I’m going to start by just handling that question in the title right up front. How can we use AI like ChapGPT to write our story?

The answer is simple and straightforward, and I cannot make this clear enough: We don’t.

Okay, post over. Everyone can go home. No, of course not. Because I can feel the nuclear indignation of those ChatGPT “writers” from here, glowing like an atomic furnace full of roasting Karens.

So yeah, let’s talk about this. With AI-generative programs being the new “hot stuff” affecting so many mediums, what’s the problem with using it to write a few sentences, or a few paragraphs, or a few chapters, or hey, why not just a whole book? Surely there’s nothing wrong with that, is there? It’s the silver bullet that’s so-long been wanted by many that takes the hardest part of writing out of writing! That being, you know, the writing.

So hit the jump, and let’s talk about ChatGPT and other AI-generative programs. Why they’re not a silver-bullet, how they can actually lead you into a wealth of trouble … but also what use they do have in the world of writing.

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