Blog | author-2dot0

All Posts
Getting Started
Your Community
Interviews
Writing and Author Life
Poetry
The Dragon Lord Chronicles
Life, etc.
Short Stories
Reviews

Jul 17, 2019
1 min

Writing 101 - The Pronoun Avenger

I was momentarily distracted while reading an otherwise excellent blog when I came across the following introductory clause. "The above

19 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

May 31, 2019
1 min

A Tale of Two Thunderbirds

I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd on their first big tour, opening for the Who in Atlanta. Both bass players that night (Leon Wilkeson for LS and John En

18 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

May 22, 2019
4 min

Writers Life - A Student Visit

These students all read above their grade level. The two classes had different personalities but I was prepared for that. I had a loose outl

8 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

May 20, 2019
3 min

Who Do You Want To Read More About?

While I am taking a break from working on novels this year, I have plans to write more books (and some shorter stories) related to The Drago

7 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Apr 8, 2019
2 min

Who are the Faerie Really?

There are several documented cases of humans and faerie marrying. Contrary to popular belief, such a marriage does not automatically condemn

12 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Mar 8, 2019
2 min

Nappy Headed Thing

Up to this point we were just two normal-looking customers awaiting service, but eventually we felt we had to take action. "Keep Austin

5 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Mar 6, 2019
3 min

Writing 101 - Process Part 7

With the first couple of books, the illustrator sent images in arbitrary aspect ratios (height/width). Some images were tall and narrow, som

14 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Mar 4, 2019
2 min

Evocative Imagery

This is one of my favorite images from Year of the Dragon Lord, volume I of The Dragon Lord Chronicles. It evokes some of the chaos and path

8 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Mar 1, 2019
2 min

My Brief Career as a Cartoonist

"It's a joke, son, Ah say, it's a JOKE!" (I remember hearing Foghorn Leghorn in my head, and having to argue myself out of

15 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 27, 2019
3 min

Writing 101 - Process Part 6

Ultimately it's your work, and you have to decide which suggestions to take, but make sure you understand why you accept and reject each

8 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 25, 2019
3 min

More Notes on Dragons: Relics

In a previous blog, I referenced the protection dragon relics can afford. Here is a bit more on the subject. Excerpted from Cuthbert's bo...

7 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 22, 2019
2 min

Lost Stuff

All of us have lost, tossed, sold, or given away stuff over the years that we've later wished we hadn't. When I dropped out of college an...

17 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 20, 2019
3 min

Writing 101 - Process Part 5

I do most of my own research ... And I check on facts ... But we all have blind sides, and the more we invest in our work, the closer we get

11 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 18, 2019
3 min

First Comic Con

I've long meant to go to a Comic Con, but always seem to find out about the close ones after the fact. I certainly didn't think my first w...

49 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 15, 2019
1 min

Riffing on the Past That Wasn't There

You're at a vow renewal where your spouse knows the bride, but you know only your spouse and two people sitting on the bride's side. At t...

4 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 14, 2019
1 min

My Loved One's Heart

My loved one's heart belongs to me, not worshiped from afar, but right here sitting close to me - I keep it in a jar. We met at Hollyw...

13 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 13, 2019
3 min

Writing 101 - Process Part 4

Some authors are very stringent on how they want feedback. That's fine if all your readers are professionals, or you have an infinite po

4 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 11, 2019
2 min

Paring Down My Work and Other Minutiae

Conventional wisdom is that authors must pare down their works. I tried, but all four books of The Dragon Lord Chronicles grew slowly. Su...

8 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 8, 2019
3 min

Love Your Libraries

I've read as far back as I can remember. During my teen years and most of my adult life, I read at least 2-3 books a week; during peak ti...

5 viewsWrite a comment

Miles O'Neal

Feb 6, 2019
4 min

Writing 101 - Process Part 3

The early reader (or beta reader) process should start when the first draft is done. You want to start lining your readers up early enough t

6 viewsWrite a comment

{"items":["5f97954b1155b400175cfcad","5f97954b1155b400175cfcac","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d5","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d4","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d3","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d2","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d1","5f979547c0f25f0017e928d0","5f979547c0f25f0017e928cf","5f979547c0f25f0017e928ce","5f979547c0f25f0017e928cd","5f979547c0f25f0017e928cc","5f97954668c7cd0017706b00","5f97954668c7cd0017706aff","5f97954668c7cd0017706afe","5f97954668c7cd0017706afd","5f97954668c7cd0017706afc","5f97954668c7cd0017706afb","5f97954668c7cd0017706afa","5f97954668c7cd0017706af9"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":1.3333333333333333,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":32,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCubeRatio":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":1,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":1,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":1,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":940,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"value":"#F3BE7A"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"targetItemSize":940,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|fill|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":false,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0.5},"container":{"width":940,"galleryWidth":972,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}

2 3 4 5