What? Isn't writing challenging enough? Well of course it is, but after a time it gets easier. If you keep writing in the style and substance of what you've written before, you're giving yourself over to that greatest enemy of writers--laziness. You don't want to write a book just like the last book. It's too easy and not enough fun.

And sooner or later your readers will notice.

I try to push myself with each new project. Book One of Trench Raiders, my upcoming World War One series, is a real challenge for me right now because I'm trying to capture early twentieth century British English in all its regional and class complexity. Good thing I have two English beta readers, both history buffs!

Book Two of my Toxic World series, Refugees from the Righteous Horde, is going through edits and I'm already thinking about Book Three. One of the point-of-view characters is going to be Pablo from the first two books. He's ten. I've never written from a child's POV before. I have no idea how I'm going to do it. I guess I'll find out when I start.

For the writers reading this, how do you keep your writing challenging?


Image of Rembrandt's painting The Scholar courtesy Wikimedia Commons. This has nothing to do with anything, I just like it. Do you think I'd look good in that collar?