gideonpsmith

Year In Review 2024

For the last two years in December, I have written a ‘Year in Review’ post, and here is this year’s. The main purpose of the original post was to convince myself that although I had not published my first novel, nor even got an agent, I had achieved something in the sphere of writing. ThisContinueContinue reading “Year In Review 2024”

Aspirational Bios

I often write about meeting writing goals: setting SMART goals, psychological tricks to make writing habits stick, and circumnavigating writer’s block. But one thing essential in reaching your goals is knowing clearly what they are. Do you know clearly what you should be working on right now? One trick from the life-skills and coaching literatureContinueContinue reading “Aspirational Bios”

Why have Beta-Readers if you’re Going to Ignore them?

The usual question is when do you listen to beta-readers and when do you not. The reasoning put forward for the latter action is usually that, beta-readers are human and sometimes they are wrong. And the advice on how to know? See if more than one beta-reader said the same thing. That may be reasonableContinueContinue reading “Why have Beta-Readers if you’re Going to Ignore them?”

Should you Finish Your Stories?

Well, you definitely should finish some of them. If you don’t you’ll never have anything published. I also do think you should finish most things. In part because endings are critical to a solid story, and if you only finish the really good stories, you won’t get in the practice on making the endings stick.ContinueContinue reading “Should you Finish Your Stories?”

View From the Other Side of the Slush Pile

So I slush read for two spec fiction magazines and have done so prior for one other. Without divulging anything sensitive or non-public, I thought it might be interesting to people to hear at least a little about what being a slush reader is like. Slush piles are different. Editors are different. Processes are different.ContinueContinue reading “View From the Other Side of the Slush Pile”

Writing with COVID

So don’t worry, this post isn’t really about COVID. Or not exactly anyway. It’s about adapting our writing and goals when life gets in the way. The reason for the title is just that COVID is the latest one of ‘lifes mishaps’ that has impacted my writing life. Coming back from vacation I had grandContinueContinue reading “Writing with COVID”

Personal Reflections on ReaderCon 33

I attended ReaderCon again this year and, other than a few missteps with the registration/online check-in process the con appeared to go smoothly this year. I thought I would give a few of my lasting thoughts from it here. I started off attending a workshop on writing physical action. I think the main take awayContinueContinue reading “Personal Reflections on ReaderCon 33”

Video Game Psychology for Writers: Achieving Writing Goals through Gamification

I have been fortunate to write guest blog posts before for SFWA on science, and my latest one is on using the psychological science utilized in video games to help you meet your writing goals. The link to it is below. I hope you enjoy, and as always, please do reach out to me directlyContinueContinue reading “Video Game Psychology for Writers: Achieving Writing Goals through Gamification”

Reading Like a Writer: Unveiling the Secrets of Craft

For writers especially, reading isn’t just about enjoyment; it’s a powerful tool for us to refine our craft. But how do you do this? When you read like a writer, you should delve deeper into the mechanics of storytelling, character development, and language use. Here’s some tips people have shared with me, on how toContinueContinue reading “Reading Like a Writer: Unveiling the Secrets of Craft”

Creating Your Own DIY Writers Workshop

There are lots of different kinds of writers’ workshop. Some are intense 6 week in person retreats whereas others are an hour or two at a writers convention. Some are focused on novels, some on short stories, some on specific aspects of craft. And though there are many commercial versions (Clarion, Clarion West, Viable Paradise,ContinueContinue reading “Creating Your Own DIY Writers Workshop”