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H.C.H. Ritz

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.hchritz.com

Twitter

hchritz

Genre

Science Fiction

Member Since

September 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/hch_ritz

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H.C.H. Ritz is a near-future sci-fi writer. She has a degree in theatre from the University of Houston and directs community theatre in her spare time. Originally from rural Mississippi, she has lived in Houston, Texas long enough to have turned into a die-hard city person. She is married to a wonderful human being and has a young son and a tortoiseshell kitty named Roxy Underfoot.

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Popular Answered Questions

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

H.C.H. Ritz I'm still an aspiring writer ;-)

But here's what I've learned so far:

Figure out how to fit writing into your life. Maybe this means finding the right…moreI'm still an aspiring writer ;-)

But here's what I've learned so far:

Figure out how to fit writing into your life. Maybe this means finding the right daily routine for you that supports writing on a consistent basis (read the book Daily Rituals for some fantastic inspiration on that!). Or maybe it's something a little more unusual... I found that making a wager with a fellow writer was very helpful on my second book. Whatever works!

Read "how to" books about fiction structure and technique.

Join a supportive, knowledgeable critique group.

Have specific goals.

Take a patient, scientific approach to figuring out how *you* best get words on the page (every mind is different!). I need classical music, chocolate, and a highly structured approach.

If you struggle with paralysis or "writer's block," try the Snowflake method (by Randy Ingermanson) to develop a clear picture of your story before you write, then turn off your analytical brain, lower your expectations, and just write the story straight through. Trust your critique group to catch the resulting problems. Then do it again. Do this until your inner critic will leave you alone consistently and let you write.

Know that it gets easier. Writing my first book was like finding a lost polar bear in a blizzard in the Arctic with no map while suffering from vertigo. Writing the second book was like driving across the country on a deadline with an outdated map. I'm hoping that writing the third book will be more like hopping on a bus to my favorite coffeeshop ;-)(less)

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What are you currently working on?

H.C.H. Ritz I'm finishing up Absence of Mind, a near-future sci-fi thriller. It's 2034, and Phoebe Bernhart is a nurse in the neuro ward when her youngest brother…moreI'm finishing up Absence of Mind, a near-future sci-fi thriller. It's 2034, and Phoebe Bernhart is a nurse in the neuro ward when her youngest brother becomes one of the first victims of a bizarre new epidemic of paranoia and aggression. She suspects a technological cause and teams up with a strange new acquaintance, a software engineer named Mila Bremer. Maybe Mila will end up holding the cure... or maybe she'll turn out to be part of the cause... or maybe she'll just prove to be indifferent to the fates of thousands of people, including Phoebe's brother. Check out the trailers on my Facebook page! www.facebook.com/hchritz (less)

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Combine Editions
H.C.H. Ritz’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 129 ratings · 38 reviews · 8 distinct works

	Absence of Mind 4.14 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Robin Hood Thief 3.87 avg rating — 31 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lightbringers (The Lightbringers, #1) 3.93 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Fancy Dinner Party: Feast of Horrors by Hilary Comfort (Editor), Gabrielle Alan, Wayne Basta (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Penny Dreadfuls: Halloween Special by Benjamin Knox (Goodreads Author), Toby Bennett (Goodreads Author), Icy Sedgwick (Goodreads Author) 3.25 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Aimee and the Witch it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Star's Tempest 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lightbringers 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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