Announcement: There is an Indie Book Community discord server in the works but non-indie writers are welcome too (as long as they’re supportive of indie publishing and such)! I know many of you are querying, and that’s totally fine - please join us! (Invite may expire in 7 days.) I’m S. Z. Attwell and can [...]
Author: szattwell
Vermeer and writing
Some thoughts. I saw a thread on Vermeer and how his painting Girl With a Pearl Earring is not a painting of a particular person, but of a “tronie,” a representation of some quality, whether age or youth or pain or something else (thread here: https://twitter.com/culturaltutor/status/1597381167069921281?s=46&t=NsoZmPKiAWC3zTYiS5p4MQ) I wanted to cry. I realized something. My characters [...]
Mastodon
I use Twitter heavily for my book marketing. In the interest of not losing that platform in case the bulk of my followers went elsewhere, I decided to look farther afield and see what was out there. I had heard of Mastodon, but was intimidated by the decentralized platform, the new terminology, etc. - until [...]
Writer’s Block
Writing block sucks, and I've had it for about two years now.
The S. Z. Attwell Project Planning Method
As a writer, and in life, I have to tackle large projects all the time. However, I don’t exactly follow the structured paper-planner route. My attention is more…focused. By that, I mean that I can sit for 5-10 hours at a time working on something, to the point that I sometimes don’t eat dinner until [...]
Space and our fragile Earth
I was in tears just now watching William Shatner’s response to going to space. (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gI5bTKwDpoM) I have never been to space. But I understand what he’s talking about. At night, I can see stars. That’s normal - they’re amazing and beautiful, but I never thought much beyond that. But it occurred to me one [...]
On marketing
In August 2020, I published my first novel. I didn’t want to do the traditional route for several reasons, including creative control and the long timeframe, so I went all-in on the self-publishing journey. As of May 2022, I have, thank God, sold enough books to be admitted as a member of the SFWA (Science [...]
On authentic-sounding writing
I love a book that immerses you. The character interactions feel legitimate, the worldbuilding makes sense, the scenes feel cinematic…and the plot organically builds on itself. Below are some of my thoughts on how to write a book that does the above. I hope to add more to this post. Please check this section for [...]
On Public Libraries
When I was a kid, my mom would take me to the library every week. The rule was that I could get as many books as I wanted, but I had to carry them. I took this very literally. I would stagger up to the counter with a stack as high as my chin, sometimes [...]
Aestus The City: A Map
I get really into worldbuilding, but I don't always share the raw materials with people. I love seeing old notes/drawings/sketches/etc. from authors, so I thought I'd contribute some of mine. Tonight a friend sent me her drawing/map of the City from my series Aestus, and I realized that despite having a very clear mental image [...]