by nicdarling | Oct 14, 2021 | Writing
I will readily admit to being very inconsistent in the way I build worlds for my stories. Often, I simply follow the characters along and hope some kind of logical, compelling sense of place starts to magically coalesce around them. This usually means far more work...
by nicdarling | Sep 19, 2021 | Art and Design
I find that some kind of cover art helps me when I’m getting ready to dive into revisions. I think it tricks my brain into taking the book more seriously. So, with The Beasts We Become out there being read by a few trusted folks and the inbound comments and...
by nicdarling | Sep 7, 2021 | Life
There was a time when I would talk about one day writing fantasy novels under a pseudonym. This pretentious idea didn’t occur to me because my actual name wasn’t cool enough (it clearly is), or because I needed to protect my family from the consequences of...
by nicdarling | Aug 16, 2021 | Life
I have written hundreds of thousands of words in the last year, and while I can’t possibly say I have enjoyed all of that work, it is a return to something I have missed for a long, long time. I’m grateful life has given me the opportunity to spend time on...
by nicdarling | Jun 9, 2021 | Writing
The writing prompt from my daughter has officially developed into my next project. The book, tentatively titled The Beasts We Become is proving fun to write and relatively painless to squeeze out of my reluctant brain. I read the first chapter to the work’s...
by nicdarling | May 13, 2021 | Writing
My daughter loves animals. Nearly every job idea she has expressed an interest in through the course of her young life has had something to do with studying, caring for or treating animals. She also loves reading and unsurprisingly, those two passions often overlap....
by nicdarling | Apr 22, 2021 | Querying
I finally received my first rejection yesterday, and it was honestly something of a relief. Obviously, as a writer, you would love for every reaction to your work to be positive, but here at the beginning it is nice to simply know that someone is out there on the...
by nicdarling | Apr 12, 2021 | Querying
It occurs to me that the date on this post could become embarrassing if no one bites on this book, but for now I’ll stick to my committment to transparency (and set a reminder to delete this if/when it gets sad). This weekend I got five queries out the door to...
by nicdarling | Apr 7, 2021 | Writing
I try to avoid using stock images here, and as I’ve relegated most pictures from my acting days to the dusty photo albums of history, I offer an old picture of my son making his directorial debut instead. I did a lot of acting when I was younger. There were...
by nicdarling | Apr 4, 2021 | Art and Design
I asked my talented wife Marie Darling for a slight change to the design for the cover of Through the Stone Gate. As always, she delivered far beyond my expectations. I love this piece. I have no idea if this book will ever get published and even if it does, this...
