Author Archives: Josh

Josh Hlibichuk

Internet Superhero by day, Creator of Worlds by night. It’s a good life. I hail from the Midwest where I work as a web developer when I’m not writing Fantasy and YA fiction. I love languages of all kinds!

NaNoWriMo Has Begun

It’s November 2. Do you know where your novel is? I decided to start the month with a bang and crank out 10,000 words on day one in order to keep my energy high and spirits up.  I’m glad I put so much work into my outline, because now I always know what happens next, [...]
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My Writer’s Creed

“The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.” –William Goldman “I hate writing, but I love having written.” — Dorothy Parker I believe writing is hard.  It’s not some channeling of magical forces or reaching into the dark recesses of the soul.  It’s work, and it takes time, and life has a nasty [...]
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Goldilocks Syndrome

I’m really picky about my workspace.  Don’t confuse this with ‘organized’: Mrs. Caffeinated will be the first to tell you I’m anything but. No, it’s a little different than that.  I can’t just write or code anywhere.  It has to be quiet, but I also have to have access to  music, should I want it. [...]
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NaNo Prep Day

I wrote the other day about how to prepare for NaNoWriMo, but today has been declared “NaNo Prep Day” – so I figured, it can’t hurt to revisit this a little bit. Even discovery writers (aka “pantsers”, which sounds a little degrading) can stand to gain with a little bit of preparation. Sure, you don’t [...]
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Editing Is Important

I read this on the NaNoWriMo forums today, and I’m reasonably certain it was sincere.  I never rewrite things, I don’t do multiple drafts, I really don’t even do much editing. What I pound out the first time is almost always the best. In school I would always do things backwards. I’d write the final [...]
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The Crazies

Nothing injects more crazy into my life than taking stock of all of the crap I have amassed over the years, especially in the context of boxing it all up and taking it to a new location within the span of about two weeks. Yep, we’re moving — not far, even.  But far enough that [...]
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How to Prepare for Nanowrimo

NaNoWriMo is ultimately what you make of it.  Write like there’s no looking back and you have no backspace key.  It’s a time to create art.  And sometimes you need to get in the right frame of mind for art. So here are some ways you can get ready to go the distance this November. [...]
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The Hard Part

It’s not the waiting.  It’s figuring out what to do to pass the time.  I’ve finished-finished a book, and like a well-groomed orangutan, it’s lumbering off into the distance to make a life for itself.  So, it’s time to start the dog-and-monkey show all over again, isn’t it? I have another manuscript partially-edited that I’m [...]
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Ironic

Start a schedule?  Ditch it immediately. Apparently that’s just the way I do things around here. Buck the system, live by my own rules. I’m just that kind of a guy. I could list all the reasons I’ve been away so long, but I think my perfectly valid excuses would only buy me about two [...]
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Trope Tuesday: Vancian Magic

This week’s “Trope Tuesday” is an interesting read: Vancian Magic. The name comes from sci-fi and fantasy legend Jack Vance, whose seminal work The Dying Earth – and related works inspired a generation of writerly greats like Neil Gaiman, Tad Williams, Jeff Vandermeer, Glen Cook, and George RR Martin, who all contributed to the tribute [...]
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