Adam S. Furman

As the 2016 election kicks into high gear, the supporters of each party will become more vocal and fierce.  This isn't a bad thing.  It's great that we are free to express our opinions in the U.S. Much like the election or the 24 hr news cycle, there is another topic that is hotly contested, finding readers and authors on both sides of the aisle.  I am referring to genre-specific authors.  Should an author stick to one genre?  Must they? A large benefit to sticking with one genre is the trust that develops between reader and author.  Readers come to know the author and trust the author to give them an experience worthy of their money and time, which is even more valuable.  Not only this, but an author refines her craft as she continues to write in that genre and improve, futher enhancing the author-reader trust cycle. On the other side, the sentiment is that an author shouldn't be pigeonholed into writing one genre.  The argument is that the fans are of the author and wi

Honestly, I have been dragging my feet.  More or less, I have had the sequels to A Spark in the Darkness done for a little while.  (I need to still write a little over 4,000 words for this next one, but still). Writing is easy for me.  While starting to write is tough (a lone blank page can be intimidating), the terror actually comes in the publishing.  Any artist can relate in this.  Fear, pride, ego, and complacency.  They have been my enemies.  And they can be yours, too (although maybe under different circumstances).  Recently I have undergone a change in attitude and have decided that I need to cast the above Four Negatives aside. So my plan of attack is this: Post-production. I am going through my stories to write their second drafts.  This mainly gets all the content in line and axe the items that don't belong. (Also catch spelling/grammar/detail issues as well before sending it to my editor). Publish. This goes without saying.  I need to get these two sequels out thi

Before recently, I had only read Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.   And I was forced to.  In high school.  In 8th Grade I was forced to read bits of his Dandelion Wine.   I thought it was dumb.  Incidentally, in the past few months I have chosen to read Bradbury's Martian Chronicles and his essays on creativity as well as the works I have read in years past.  Themes and mannerisms have bubbled to the surface that can serve me (or any writer) as inspiration or guidance. Imitation:   It is ok.  In this sense, I differentiate imitation from copycat.  One story in Martian Chronicles comes to mind is titled Usher Two .  Bradbury takes plot elements and themes from Edgar Allen Poe's tales of horror (whom Bradbury will admit he tried to imitate early in his own career) and weaves them into a new story.   Exploration: Try new things.  Get creative.  Bradbury did two things here that set him apart from others.  He had a word association journal.  He sat down and wrot