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• Post #2988415

  #ScribesAndMakers 5/12 Our next featured creator is a Tabletop Role Playing Game designer. Do you play, or have you played, TTRPGs? Boy howdy. Haven’t played much lately, but TTRPGs have been a BIG part of my life. Starting in grade school, back in the D&D original white box days. I was very involved in the 80s - 90s RPG zine and APA scene. And did a little playtesting and writing for Steve Jackson Games.

• Post #2988414

  #WritersCoffeeClub 5/14: For characters, plots, ideas, settings, etc. how much is too much? I may not be the best person to ask. I love my secondary and minor characters, and create a lot of them. One criticism in a very positive review of my book: "While perhaps a few too many characters are introduced..." ("...they're all engaging, distinctive, and well crafted.") 1/2

• Post #2988413

  On the N-teenth rereading of my book, I realized that a minor character -- a judge who appears in one scene -- was unconsciously inspired by William Schallert of the Patty Duke Show and of Disney's Dexter Riley/Medfield College movies like THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES. That made me smile. Schallert always seemed to be a cool guy.

• Post #2988412

  After a long and not 100% enjoyable trip to Chicago,* it’s good to be home. *It’s not you, Chicago, it’s me. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon and we’ll have a grand time.

• Post #2988411

  News of the Forza Horizon 6 leak and the 8,000-year ban has me thinking about Patricia Lockwood and her cat Miette. "Oh! Oh! Ban for pirate! Ban for pirate for Eight Thousand Years!"

• Post #2988410

  #ScribesAndMakers 5/15 What's going well with your creative work so far this month? Sent out a newsletter to subscribers, all is ready for Tuesday's book launch, and getting back into gear on the next book.

• Post #2988409

  Happy Bookday! My psychic mystery novel QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD is now available in paperback and ebook. Feast your eyes on DEAD TREES, or absorb the essence of a space age ELECTRO-BOOK, as it conveys a tale of crime and paranormal abilities! #book #mystery #reading https://books2read.com/u/3G0Ler

• Post #2988408

  #WritersCoffeeClub 5/19: How would changing genre change your current WIP's plot? I suppose it could turn into a Hallmark-ish romance, as the MC meets his old flame when he returns to his home town in the mountains. But there wouldn't really be much plot left. I think I'll keep writing it as a mystery.

• Post #2988407

  GIVEAWAY for newsletter subscribers, including those who sign up during May: Download Chapter 1 of QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD, free! Visit https://bymatthewporter.com to join. No charge for the download, and no charge for the newsletter. #book #mystery #reading

• Post #2988406

  We’ve reached that part of the Colorado springtime when the rain makes the lawn grow four feet per day, prevents me from using the lawnmower, and still won’t fix our drought.

• Post #2988405

  #WritersCoffeeClub 5/20: If not your current genre, what genre would you write? I don't necessarily settle into one genre in a single story, let alone all of my writing. (See for example the combination of elements in Questions for the Dead.) I don't feel as if I've ruled out any genre, except perhaps erotica. My next two works in progress are mysteries of one kind and another, but next up after that is a magic-heavy suburban fantasy.

• Post #2988404

  #ScribesAndMakers 5/May ~ You have $100 (or the equivalent in your currency) to spend on something to support your creativity this month. How are you spending it? Any tech I might want would cost more than $100. So I'll say coffee. A few pounds of really good coffee beans.

• Post #2988403

  #ScribesAndMakers 5/23 If you were going to tell a story about a cryptid, which would you choose? First thought is Mothman, but I'd be intimidated by how very good the 2002 movie is. So I might fall back to Sasquatch or Nessie.

• Post #2988402

  #WritersCoffeeClub 5/24: What do you need in order to finish your current WIP? Time. To be honest that's almost always the thing that's needed most. Eventually there will be editors, production details, and other things, but mainly it's just the time required to finish and polish a draft.

• Post #2988401

  #WritersCoffeeClub – 5/27 Do you read outside of the genre you write? Absolutely. There's so much to enjoy and to learn across so many types of writing.

• Post #2988400

  Looking for tips from #writers on direct sales and payment processing setups -- something that will enable the sale of #books both online from an author website and in person at book fairs and other events. Suggestions and experiences appreciated!

• Post #2988399

  #WritersCoffeeClub 5/28: Have you ever regretted cutting a scene? Nah. Sometimes it's painful if I think the scene contains "good writing," but removing it always improves the story as a whole.

• Post #2988398

  #ScribesAndMakers 5/29: Our next featured creator has done creative work with math. Does math ever feature in any way in your creative work? Nope. But I absolutely love writers like Greg Egan, who can create science fiction that's actually *about math.*

• Post #1888634

  For the IMMP #podcast I need to select several episodes of The Love Boat. Is the proper pluralization "Love Boats" or "Loves Boat"?

• Post #1888633

  #ScribesAndMakers 4/7 Would your current creative project make a good game? As a fan of BRINDLEWOOD BAY and PUBLIC ACCESS, I've been interested in using Jason Cordova's innovative TTRPG mystery system in a setting that does not have an over-arching supernatural conspiracy as found in those games. My upcoming QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD (which I admit has some supernatural elements), and another, cozier book I'm working on, might be good fits.

• Post #1888632

  #ScribesAndMakers 4/9: Our next featured creator is a professor. Does any of your work involve professors and/or universities? A WIP -- sequel to next month's release -- features a university professor in the field of paranormal folklore and investigation.

• Post #1888631

  Of course it’s playing in Theater 8. I’d be so disappointed if it were anywhere else. #alamodrafthouse #Exit8 #movie

• Post #1888630

  Meanwhile, also at the #alamodrafthouse We’re required to use our phones to order, where cell reception is minimal, and the in-house WiFi does not work. The Alamo’s mobile ordering is a bad decision, poorly executed. Not ready for prime time.

• Post #1888629

  It's independent bookstore day! Take some time to visit your local bookseller, in person or online. #books #reading #IndependentBookstoreDay

• Post #1888628

  #WritersCoffeeClub 4/28: How magical is your work? Next month's launch, and its sequel: no magic per se, but psychic talents and the implication that there's a scientific explanation behind them. WIP: No magic. Cozy mystery. Other WIP, very early stages: suburban fantasy, LOTS of magic. Also, 1959 London Mods book: No magic. Amateur sleuth mystery. (Still looking for a home for that Mod book!)

• Post #1888626

  #WritersCoffeeClub 4/30 How was this month for you, in terms of writing? Not much new writing; mainly revisions, promotion, and other prep for next month’s release. Still a good month, but time now to get back to work on the next Martin Rodak mystery.

• Post #1888625

  To observe the countdown to QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD, I’m going to bring back something I used to do on the old bird site: Daily ESP test! #books #mystery

• Post #1888624

  #ScribesAndMakers 4/30 - What's a problem you solved in your creative work this month? Finally wrapped my head around a point my editor was trying to teach me about managing tenses for things outside of a story’s main time frame.

• Post #1888623

  #DailyESPtest! As I type this, I have just drawn a card at random from a deck of Zener cards, and I am looking at the card I selected. Try your #ESP or #psychic ability: What card did I draw?

• Post #147655

  #WritersCoffeeClub 1/21. When writing about unpleasant feelings, how do you avoid alienating the reader entirely? Make it real. Make it a genuine expression of character. And make it serve the story. One function of fiction is to help readers practice empathy. Another is to help readers know that no matter what they are feeling, they are not alone -- other people are feeling the same thing. That requires portraying feelings, even unpleasant feelings, in a clear and honest way.