Jeff's Blog
Articles
Finding Your Own Voice
Wednesday, February 8th, 2017 @ 4:30 pm Articles Writing Craft | 4Comments
Finding Your Own Voice
(or, in other words, how to make characters feel real)
by Jeff Wheeler
Inside almost every work of fiction, usually on the copyright page, is a disclaimer that publishers put there to deflect potential lawsuits stating that the incidents and people represented in the work are... Read More
Sci-Fi Roots
Tuesday, November 15th, 2016 @ 3:27 pm Articles Writing Craft | 6Comments
I’m a fantasy author, but it may surprise you to know that my first love was science fiction. I still have strong memories and impressions dating back to 1977 when I was sitting in the Century movie theaters on Winchester Blvd in San Jose (which, incidentally, kind of looked like... Read More
What love really looks like
Friday, February 12th, 2016 @ 8:19 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 2Comments
I don't know if I've been a hopeless romantic for most of my life, but probably so. All my books have some romance in them--well, except maybe the Wishing Lantern! One of the reasons I've loved The Empire Strikes Back so much is it coined the phrase "scruffy-looking nerf herder" which... Read More
The lonely profession
Friday, January 22nd, 2016 @ 5:51 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 2Comments
I’ve had some conversations and interactions lately that have reminded me that writing is truly “the lonely profession.” Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining nor is this posting a rant. Being an introvert, I’m very comfortable in my own head (where all my characters live!) and I don’t... Read More
Developing Characters – the Johari Window
Thursday, January 15th, 2015 @ 6:49 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 1Comments
One of the most satisfying things about reading a book is watching how characters progress. Robert Olen Butler talked about human yearning being the key driver of any story, that writing "is the art form of human yearning." In the Muirwood Trilogy, Lia hungered to learn how to read, then... Read More
There is power in persistence
Wednesday, December 10th, 2014 @ 4:57 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 7Comments
There is power in persistence. I have told this story several times to friends and family, but I do not think I have shared it on my blog. There was a time, three years ago, when I was tempted to quit writing. In 2011, I had self-published the Muirwood Trilogy... Read More
The Imagination Muscle
Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 @ 4:41 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 3Comments
From time to time, I get requests for writing advice. I’m not very big on offering writing advice because I truly believe there isn’t one way to do this business and what works for me won’t necessarily work for someone else. Instead, I’m a believer that practicing writing is the... Read More
Destruction and Creation
Monday, April 14th, 2014 @ 4:02 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 1Comments
I read a great essay many years ago by a famous US Air Force pilot named John Boyd. He had a very interesting life and there’s a great book about him called Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
The Bookstore Apocalypse
Saturday, March 15th, 2014 @ 5:12 pm Articles Jeff's Blog Writing Craft | 1Comments
My wife loves to watch Morning Joe and told me about a recent interview that the author James Patterson gave. He’s donating $1 million dollars to help independent bookstores survive. http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/how-to-preserve-the-cherished-local-bookstore-184294467957
I have no... Read More 
