Author Dana Lockhart

I’m getting more and more serious about making writing my full time career, so I’m taking anything and everything that will help me achieve that dream. Which leads to three big announcements: I am now a writer/game reviewer for SipReadRepeat I was accepted into the  Medium  publication “ Curiosity Never Killed the Writer ” I was officially voted in as the president of the Hannibal Writers Guild this month My Growing Professional Gamer Status It was all well and good writing gaming articles for exposure with DVS . I really didn’t mind at all. I got a load of worthwhile experience and I came out the other end feeling like I got significantly better at writing journalism. I went from every article I wrote having problems - passive voice, high  Flesch-Kincaid reading scores (meaning my writing was too complicated), not enough transitions - to almost every first draft being in the green light with all these things. My writing was trained over time to be better just with simpl...

I have a lot and nothing at all going on at the same time. I got five agents that requested material while I was at Gateway Con. I didn't like one of them because he sounded like he came from a vanity publisher, and another one told me to submit it via their website but their website isn't accepting submissions?  So I sent varying requested lengths of The Un-Life to the remaining three and so far I've only gotten a brief response from one that didn't say yes or no.  So I'm not sure what's going on there. I suppose I'll see what the others say before I start digging in too deep. Gateway Con was amazing. I recommend it or any other writing conference if you are an aspiring author. I met several authors that have become acquaintance-friends.  Made some connections, I hope, with editors and agents.  Learned some.  The hotel was pretty and expensive but amazing.  I bought some signed books.  Conventions are a great way to boost confidence, meet people, and ...

It's honestly been a hard month. Full of stand-stills and unexpected pitfalls. I'm disappointed that most things I'm trying to achieve in my life right now just aren't going according to plan.  But that's fate for you.  Try as you might, the universe can off-set you at a whim. I'm also sad to announce that just three months after my campaign, Kindle Scout has thrown in the towel and will no longer be accepting submissions.  I had planned on continuing to submit my work to them in the future, but now that is no longer possible, unless by some miracle they reopen submissions.  But right now, I'm assuming they are just shutting down the program for good. But!  All is not lost.  I'm reconsidering my plans for The Un-Life of William Moore . I am wanting to get it out as soon as possible.  My plan had been to self publish.  However, I am strongly considering changing my mind and giving my novel a chance to be traditionally published. Normally the tradit...

-To Speak, or Not to Speak- I am a terribly anti-social introvert, even though I really like conversation. Spending a night at home doing nothing but watching Netflix and wasting my life away is about the best way to end my day that I can imagine. But while I like being alone, I don’t like being lonely. One of the things I’m most afraid of is feeling alone in a room crowded full of people. You might as well be invisible, or not exist. I tend to like to listen to a conversation as much as I like talking, and sometimes I feel like I’d be rude to try and get a word in when the conversation is flowing so well without me and I’m learning so much by just being silent. But I’m also an oxymoron when it comes to socializing. Sometimes I don’t talk; sometimes I don’t stop. One day I was in college talking to a classmate on one of the first days where the instructor insisted on everyone getting to know one another. At one point, my classmate stopped me and said, “You talk a ...