J.J. Kochmanski

Tag: writing-tips

  • A ‘no system’ writing system

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    Joseph Kochmanski
    in

    Perhaps the dirtiest secret of my writing process is that I completely lack a ‘system.’ No strict word count per day. No specific writing times. Minimal outlining. No spreadsheets of character traits or motivations. And no fancy software or virtual assistants. It’s just me and the ol’ blank page, waging war. Of course, I don’t…

  • Scientific vs. Fiction Publishing — The Same?

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    Joseph Kochmanski
    in

    I mean this quite sincerely: Thank you, academia, for (mostly) preparing me for the agonizing pace of traditional publishing. In science, ideas can develop quickly, but their execution is slow. A typical molecular biology project looks something like this: secure collaborators, write a grant, wait six months for a review/score, wait some more to (hopefully)…

  • Learning to “love” feedback

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    Joseph Kochmanski
    in

    Writing a novel is a deeply personal activity. It’s a translation of one’s own imagination into physical words, ostensibly for sharing with others, but also as a permanent record of the ideas that gather between a person’s synapses. The stories I’ve written feel like children–I know them better than anyone and understand their oddities and…

  • Revisiting my first query attempt (circa 2019)

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    Joseph Kochmanski
    in

    Querying a novel is a difficult thing to do. Indeed, I would argue it’s even more difficult to “get right” than actually, you know, writing the book. I’m sure there are a rare few out there who land representation from the very first query they jot down, but for the rest of us mere mortals,…

  • A first post about a first (failed) book

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    by

    Joseph Kochmanski
    in

    In the fall of 2011, I was a senior in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at the University of Michigan, and despite a full load of coursework and an active social life, I made the head-scratching decision to start a writing a novel. The result was terrible, and I don’t plan to ever share…