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 [...]
Author: szattwell
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 [...]
The Blank First Page
The cursor blinks. The space seems endless. What to write? I see lots of tweets about anxiety in starting your first project. It’s almost like having a fancy notebook...that you've never used. What could I write, I think, that would be worthy of such a notebook? My handwriting is messy. My pen is not nice [...]
AUTHOR TALK – March 20, 2021
Hello! This is a rough summary of the author talk I just gave. Thanks so much for coming, everyone - to those of you who weren’t able to make it, I hope this is helpful! First, a brief introduction - who I am, why I wrote these books, etc. My name is Sabrina - I [...]
Writing – Worldbuilding
I think a lot about writing. How I write, why I write. How I can explain to others how to write. I just did an interview (not yet released) and we discussed things that are pertinent to the writing process – character development, that type of thing. I thought I should put together some thoughts on how I approach writing in general. I hope they’ll be of some use to someone!
NaNoWriMo reflections: Day 1
Good morning readers/fellow writers! It's day 2 of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Against my probably-better judgment, I decided to do it (or try). I am currently editing Novel 2 (Aestus, Book 2: The Colony), which takes a ton of time and effort, and yet I couldn’t resist joining NaNoWriMo again this year. There’s just [...]
Reflections on writing my (first) novel
Hello! It’s almost NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I’m debating whether to write novel 3 while also trying to get novel 2 (the second half of my epic sci-fi series Aestus) ready for publication. I’m very tempted. In the meantime, I have been remiss in updating this blog and I apologize. It’s been a [...]
On Writing and Pandemic-Land
I did not expect to write a novel and then find myself doing the editing process from my room. I write in coffee shops. I practically live in coffee shops. And now I'm stuck inside, my options being essentially my room, my living room (where my roommate works on her grad school assignments), or my [...]