We Write!
[--- Karen Myers ---] I was raised by wolves. No, really. Nice wolves, well-meaning wolves, but wolves nonetheless. Let me explain. My older brother and I were raised in a fair amount of affluence, educated at the right schools, suitably cared for, and never submitted to the least bit of abuse. So, what's my lament?... Continue Reading →
[--- Karen Myers ---] Among a great many pedantic bits of advice for beginning fiction writers is the importance of fully describing a character's environment and perceptions as a way of embedding the reader in that experience. Yeah, well.... Boy, is that easy to do clumsily, using a shopping list approach to note the blue... Continue Reading →
It's OK. Deities happen to the best of us. There you are, standing by the corner of your desk, minding your own business, when ZOT! a character gets religion. Oh dear. How awkward. Now what? For a while, science fiction in particular was supposed to be faith-free. Oh, the character might use a deity name... Continue Reading →
"Saxo, what are you doing?" A firm hand grabbed the back of his neck and collars and hauled him upright. "Boy, I told you—" Master Agri stopped. "That bird's leg." The young, grey-tan great-hauler gelding walked back and forth in his pen, nibbling a little of the fresh food Saxo had given him after he... Continue Reading →
[--- Karen Myers ---] You know all those folks in your story/novel/series? The ones that put on a play under your direction to entertain your readers? Well, guess what... they have their own lives, too. You can't just deflate them and then blow them up again several chapters (or books) later, as if they hadn't... Continue Reading →
I'd asked in the spiky book club server what topics they'd like to see me touch on in posts, and the first response was to ask about fleshing out supporting characters. Which is a good point. No one wants to wander into a book and see a bunch of cardboard cutouts propping up the joint.... Continue Reading →
No, not the so-called authorial Mary Sue/Marty Stu school of fiction, where the reader realizes that the protagonist is the author, just perfected in every way. I can think of one, maybe two people who got away with that for one book, possibly two. Stan Lee slipping himself into the comics on occasion doesn't count,... Continue Reading →
"Stop Digging!" Which is great if you are a real person, but there are times when you need a character to keep digging. Or when a character is bound and determined to keep digging no matter what you, the mere author, want. So, do you wince and wait to see how bad it's going to... Continue Reading →
[--- Karen Myers ---] It's a constant debate, whether people shape stories or stories shape people. I think it's a chicken-and-egg issue, myself. Terry Pratchet had his own opinion. We're biased. As writers, we are people, and we are shaping stories. But we're not the people that count: that would be our characters. Just as... Continue Reading →
This weekend, I had a simple, clear objective: have a relaxing vacation. Who knew relaxation would hurt this much? On the bright and shiny side, the museum my husband wanted to see was amazing enough that I lingered over the oral histories and the displays long enough that I really, really should have taken a... Continue Reading →
Mad Genius Club 