A Long Post Full Of Shop Talk From Michael's Brain

Over on my Facebook, I noted that I think Dark Water Blues is both the best and worst thing I have ever written. It is a vexing thing, though not necessarily a bad thing. I've been doing a clean-up pass before I start sending it out to readers, and there are plenty of moment where I read what I've written and go, "Huh, I really do seem to be improving." Sadly, there are still too many moments of, "Oh my god, this is such crap!"

Still, if looked at objectively, I seem to moving in the right direction. The problems with Dark Water Blues are different from the problems I had with Last Car to Annwn Station, which were much different from the problems I had with Old Blood's Fate. For the most part, I find myself not making the same mistakes from novel to novel, which I consider a good thing. It means some of the things I'm learning as a writer are taking root. Maybe I'll learn enough to write something sellable. Eventually.

( Michael Yammers on About the Publishing Industry, Agents, Fear, and Slopping the Hogs. )