We Write!
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 →
One of the minor pleasures of writing is setting up your major characters to have not just rocks thrown at them, but a major rock slide. Metaphorically speaking. And for maximum impact, you want the reader to say not “Where the hell did those rocks come from?” but, “Oh, of course that was going to... Continue Reading →
Usually by this time on Tuesdays, I have an idea about what I'm going to blog about. Heck, I usually have an idea when I get up. Sometimes I even have the post written the night before. But not today. I blame yesterday for it. Between painting and taking down cabinets and an emergency plumbing... Continue Reading →
As we learn to write, one of the greatest tools, and conversely, the most crippling failing, can be the understanding that humans are predictable. It can be very easy to predict that a man and a woman pushed into close proximity with, say, one of them in the role of taking care of the other... Continue Reading →
Chopsticks Pam Uphoff Two decades ago, I injured my right hand. Good doctors, good hospital, good antibiotics, brutal physical therapists . . . I never think about it. Until I try to eat with chopsticks. Something in the motion finds a hidden weakness, and by the time I'd finished dinner yesterday, well, "survived without having... Continue Reading →
As I was trying to figure out what to write about today, I came across this article. It's a fairly good short -- note the short -- description of some of the problems writers fall into when sticking to worldbuilding tropes. I don't necessarily agree with all of them but, as with anything, if you... Continue Reading →
I was trying to come up with a good topic to amuse and entertain you all, and as I am wading through final edits on Trickster Noir, after a long week of school, my brain had run a bit dry. So I put it off, and fixed dinner, and as we sat and chatted over... Continue Reading →
It's not how big it is, it's how you use it. And this may be the only time in my life I use that phrase without entendre. What I'm talking about, since entendre is out of the question, is the extra stuff that goes into a story. The scenery, characterization, action and so forth that... Continue Reading →
The time has come to take a look at the art and craft of characterization. This probably seems weird, since characterization is one of the things pantsers tend to get "free" - but getting it and writing it well aren't the same thing. It's worth reading up about what makes a good character and learning... Continue Reading →
In the cultural desert that was my childhood, there was one bookshelf in my home with about five books on it. There was only a black and white TV- it was all anyone had in those days in Australia. There were 4 TV stations which ran re-runs over and over until I felt ill at... Continue Reading →
Mad Genius Club 