Okay let’s be clear, I’m a sane person. Or, at least as sane as the next guy. Nonetheless, I imagine my characters directing my stories. Yep, they tell me what to do. I’ve tried to direct them, but that usually leads to a dead end. Some people call that dead end writer’s block. But, in […]
Writers as Lone Wolves with Lots of People in Their Heads
Most #writers spend their days in solitary work #amwriting Click To Tweet They sludge away at their computers, coming out for brief interactions with the fridge. Their thoughts day and night center around their characters and what they are up to. There’s never a dull moment even though their days look dull from the outside. […]
Changing Your Character’s Name #Writingtips
When I begin a new book, I often stumble over the character’s names #writingtips Click To Tweet It’s very hard to name a character when you know little about them. Even writing a character bio requires my giving the person a name. And, that name then becomes part of the individual I’ve created. The name […]
Tips for Writing from your Imagination
I recently finished reading, My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Stout. This Pulitzer-Prize-winning author created a compelling story in this new novel. I plan to review it next week. Meantime, I wanted to examine how writers write from their imagination. Terry Gross on the nationally acclaimed radio program, Fresh Air, asked Stout if the […]
Stuart R. West Has a New Book! Peculiar County.
My author friend,@StuartRWest, has another new book #YA Click To Tweet It’s hard to keep up with him. He writes faster than any writer I know. Before I have the first chapter done, he’s finished three books. This time he’s written a real doozy. Here’s a little taste of Peculiar County: Growing up in […]
#Tips for Creating a Supporting Cast
As creators or fiction, we must develop believable characters #writingtips Click To Tweet Often we focus on our heroes and villains and rightly so. But, we must also think about those people in the background. How important are they to our story? What are they like and how do they move the story along? The […]
When Your Hero becomes Your Villain #Inkripples
The hero/villain dichotomy has become very blurred in recent years #inkripples Click To Tweet With the rise of Walter White in Breaking Bad, heroes become villains and vice versa. Do you find yourself reading a book and rooting for the bad guy? If so, the writer has done a nice job of reversing roles. The […]
A Mystery with a Bad Good-Guy
I’m reading a mystery, Jo Nesbo’s The Son, with a bad good guy. I find myself cheering for him when he kills worse bad guys. But, he tends to kill them in the same way they’ve killed others, which isn’t pretty. It started me thinking about what creates suspense #amreading #amwriting Click To Tweet Usually […]
What in the World are People Thinking?
Do you ever look around and wonder what people are thinking? #amwriting Click To Tweet As you walk down the hall at work or through the aisles in the grocery store, do you imagine thoughts in other people’s heads? Are they thinking about how much their feet hurt or wondering what their spouse will get […]
What Hooks You?
I’ve often wondered what might hook my readers #amreading Click To Tweet Is it the characters? The plot? Unanswered questions? What kinds of things hook you and keep you reading? For me the characters are what keep me turning the pages. Some of the books I read have little plot, not much action, but I […]
