Bruce Byfield
@byfield.bsky.social
Some time writer about free software and open source and would-be novelist. Companion to parrots, collector of First Nations art, and ergonomic keyboard advocate. Now actively querying my novel "The Bone Ransom," a post-colonial fantasy.
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Bruce Byfield
@byfield.bsky.social
· Jan 13
Some writers are desperate for beta readers. Any beta readers. But unless a beta reader combines a sympathy for your work wittingh a strong sense of honesty, their usefulness is limited. #writing
February 8, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Some writers are desperate for beta readers. Any beta readers. But unless a beta reader combines a sympathy for your work wittingh a strong sense of honesty, their usefulness is limited. #writing
For me, there has always been a right time to discover writers. I was ready for the Romantic in my teens, Dickens in my early twenties, and Jane Austen just before thirty.
February 8, 2026 at 7:10 AM
For me, there has always been a right time to discover writers. I was ready for the Romantic in my teens, Dickens in my early twenties, and Jane Austen just before thirty.
Speech therapy when I was five started a lifelong interest in words, both reading and writing, as well as songs with powerful lyrics.
February 8, 2026 at 7:05 AM
Speech therapy when I was five started a lifelong interest in words, both reading and writing, as well as songs with powerful lyrics.
I find that the most efficient way for me to edit is to work on two chapters at a time: one mostly finished, to be fine-tuned by tinkering, and another still undergoing major development. This approach provides variety, & helps with continuity. #writing
February 8, 2026 at 6:58 AM
I find that the most efficient way for me to edit is to work on two chapters at a time: one mostly finished, to be fine-tuned by tinkering, and another still undergoing major development. This approach provides variety, & helps with continuity. #writing
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
February 8, 2026 at 6:51 AM
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
February 8, 2026 at 6:50 AM
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
If you can't make each character in your fiction speak differently, the next most effective tactic is to make each line of dialogue as succinct as possible. Never mind that people rarely speak that way in real life. #writing
February 5, 2026 at 6:51 AM
If you can't make each character in your fiction speak differently, the next most effective tactic is to make each line of dialogue as succinct as possible. Never mind that people rarely speak that way in real life. #writing
I see a progression in the psychological novel from Austen to Dickens to Eliot and Hardy.
January 31, 2026 at 6:25 AM
I see a progression in the psychological novel from Austen to Dickens to Eliot and Hardy.
I've always tried for chapters with 2500-4500 words. But a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. This draft, I'm considering a few shorter ones.
January 30, 2026 at 5:55 AM
I've always tried for chapters with 2500-4500 words. But a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. This draft, I'm considering a few shorter ones.
One of the hardest parts of writing fantasy has got to be writing dialogue that gives information without being an obvious info dump. An argument helps, and not making the explanations too long-winded. But progress is slow regardless. #writing
January 30, 2026 at 12:15 AM
One of the hardest parts of writing fantasy has got to be writing dialogue that gives information without being an obvious info dump. An argument helps, and not making the explanations too long-winded. But progress is slow regardless. #writing
Sometimes, the best way for me to make progress on a scene is to start by roughing out the dialogue, with notes for possible actions. Since I know how each character talks, this tactic gives me the rhythm and pacing of the scene #writing
January 29, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Sometimes, the best way for me to make progress on a scene is to start by roughing out the dialogue, with notes for possible actions. Since I know how each character talks, this tactic gives me the rhythm and pacing of the scene #writing
A guilty confession: I've never seen the point of mood boards. I can't escape the suspicion that they're an excuse not to write that create the illusion of progress.
January 28, 2026 at 6:48 AM
A guilty confession: I've never seen the point of mood boards. I can't escape the suspicion that they're an excuse not to write that create the illusion of progress.
Sometimes, I cannibalize passages I've already written for my immediate needs. So far, it's always worked out, but I wonder whether I'll sometimes regret such a decision #writing
January 27, 2026 at 5:50 AM
Sometimes, I cannibalize passages I've already written for my immediate needs. So far, it's always worked out, but I wonder whether I'll sometimes regret such a decision #writing
The Silmarillion is like a fantasy bible. It's the collected stories of a particular people - the elves. There's a central theme, but often that's only a loose connection between the parts. Some parts are mostly self-contained, others feel out of place.
January 27, 2026 at 3:55 AM
The Silmarillion is like a fantasy bible. It's the collected stories of a particular people - the elves. There's a central theme, but often that's only a loose connection between the parts. Some parts are mostly self-contained, others feel out of place.
What a day! Yesterday, I added a chapter, roughed out another chapter, and had a third complimented (with minor corrections) by my critique partner. All that, and I still had time to shop online for a new laptop and watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
January 26, 2026 at 2:47 PM
What a day! Yesterday, I added a chapter, roughed out another chapter, and had a third complimented (with minor corrections) by my critique partner. All that, and I still had time to shop online for a new laptop and watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Over the last six weeks, I've been experimenting with first person povs. I find that gives me a much stronger sense of character. #writing
January 25, 2026 at 5:33 AM
Over the last six weeks, I've been experimenting with first person povs. I find that gives me a much stronger sense of character. #writing
If the end of a chapter should lead into the next, is it cheating to end a chapter with a colon?
January 24, 2026 at 4:07 PM
If the end of a chapter should lead into the next, is it cheating to end a chapter with a colon?
Evenings have become my second writing shift. Often just notes, sometimes fragments.
January 24, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Evenings have become my second writing shift. Often just notes, sometimes fragments.
Recent Things I've learned about writing:
1. Dramatize, dramatize, dramatize.
2. Outlining and pantsing aren't either-or. Both have their place.
3. Description don't need to be complete. Just give the details that matter.
1. Dramatize, dramatize, dramatize.
2. Outlining and pantsing aren't either-or. Both have their place.
3. Description don't need to be complete. Just give the details that matter.
January 24, 2026 at 4:14 AM
Recent Things I've learned about writing:
1. Dramatize, dramatize, dramatize.
2. Outlining and pantsing aren't either-or. Both have their place.
3. Description don't need to be complete. Just give the details that matter.
1. Dramatize, dramatize, dramatize.
2. Outlining and pantsing aren't either-or. Both have their place.
3. Description don't need to be complete. Just give the details that matter.
The literary canon is a mixed blessing. OTOH, it weeds out trash. OTOH, it condemns some good writers, even whole genres, to obscurity.
January 22, 2026 at 6:23 AM
The literary canon is a mixed blessing. OTOH, it weeds out trash. OTOH, it condemns some good writers, even whole genres, to obscurity.