Stephanie Leary

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Inspiration and Regencies

May 22, 2002 Stephanie Leary

…. which I’ve just written into a quick 200-word outline of the early chapters in the later storyline of the book. This is one of those ideas that really ought to have occurred to me years ago. (Yes, I’ve had these characters in my head, off and on, long enough that I can say that.) It’s such a logical explanation for bringing the characters together in the first place, which is something that had stumped me for a while. I knew Aver had a reason for visiting the city, but I had no earthly idea what it might be until tonight. (Well, I’d invented a reason, but it was forced and awkward, whereas this one feels right.)

I’ve gone on a book-buying spree, mostly to do research. Realized that I ought to know how others were writing about lucid dreams, so I picked up a copy of Graham Joyce’s Dreamside. Also realized that I still need to finish the story I submitted to Viable Paradise, so I bought some Regencies to get a feel for how they’re written. My only experience with them when I wrote the story consisted of Jane Austen and The Rushden Legacy, a hilarious book written by Melanie Rawn under a pseudonym before Dragon Prince was published. Clearly I needed to do some market research, but I hadn’t bothered, and this led to all sorts of glaring errors in the story. I read my first Georgette Heyer book over the weekend, and I must say I was a bit disappointed, given her reputation. I have another of hers – perhaps this one will be better – as well as a few by other authors.

Writing

Fascism Watch

The Fascism Watch is a daily(ish) news roundup. View all the previous Fascism Watch posts »

Latest WordPress Book

Content Strategy for WordPress

A short book for content strategists and managers on implementing a complete content strategy in WordPress: evaluation, analysis, content modeling, editing and workflows, and long-term planning and maintenance.

Read the sample chapter

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WordPress for Web Developers

WordPress for Web Developers (9781430258667)

This is a book for professional web designers and developers who already know HTML and CSS, and want to learn to build sites with WordPress. The book begins with a detailed tour of the administration screens and settings, then digs into server-side topics like performance and security. The second half of the book is devoted to development: learning to build WordPress themes and plugins.

This is the second, much-revised and updated edition of Beginning WordPress 3, with a more accurate title. Everything’s been updated for WordPress 3.6.

WordPress for Web Developers is out now. See what's inside...

The best WordPress features you’ve never noticed

  • WordPress Hidden Gems: Screen Options
  • WordPress Hidden Gems: Bulk Edit
  • WordPress Hidden Gems: Private Status
  • WordPress Hidden Gems: Dashboard Feed Readers
  • WordPress Hidden Gems: Options.php

Content Modeling for WordPress series

  • Content modeling for WordPress, part 1: analyze content
  • Content modeling for WordPress, part 2: functional and organizational requirements
  • Content modeling for WordPress, part 3: a sample content model

This is an excerpt from Content Strategy for WordPress.My latest books are Content Strategy for WordPress (2015) and WordPress for Web Developers (2013). Sign up to be notified when I have a new book for you.

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