Category Archives: writer

Graduation

I sold a short story this week; my first.   It’s a big milestone for any writer, and for me, I consider it a graduation of sorts.  After four years of study and applied learning, I have finally achieved the … Continue reading

Posted in fiction, graduation, rocket science, short story, sold, the price of learning, writer | Leave a comment

Subtext: It’s Always There

I’m back from Los Angeles, where I spent four intensive days in a Robert McKee ‘Story’ seminar.  Even though I’ve read his book (twice), the live lecture shook loose some new-to-me concepts which I plan to incorporate into my current … Continue reading

Posted in Casablanca, emotion, Robert McKee, scene, seminar, story, subtext, writer | Leave a comment

What’s Your Superpower? What’s Your Kryptonite?

I’m back from a week-long Novel Re-Writing Workshop taught by David Farland.  I was one of eight students in the class, and we spent at least two hours a day critiquing each other’s work.  We’d each submitted the first 20 pages … Continue reading

Posted in character, David Farland, FATE, jazz, kryptonite, plot, story, super-power, tools, workshop, writer | Leave a comment

Perceptions

Fiction writers create new worlds and characters; or they give us a new perspective on people and places we think we know.  In my opinion, the best writers give us both.  Whether it’s Robert Jordan and his Seanchan continent of … Continue reading

Posted in characters, fiction, Laurell Hamilton, Lewis Carroll, living the dream, perceptions, Robert Jordon, strange worlds, urban fantasy, writer, writing a series | Leave a comment

Bad Hair Days

There are days when it certainly seems as if the universe is conspiring against the working writer.  I’m not paranoid, but the last several days have been filled with trips (3) to the vet for regular inoculations, emails from old … Continue reading

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Digging In

Grrrr.  Revisions really get to me.  Progress is slow and unsatisfying.  To me, writing the first words of the story is a bit like horse racing; I’m trying to get my ideas on the page as fast as possible, before … Continue reading

Posted in fantasy, Glamour, Pandora Swift, revising, revisions, urban, writer | Leave a comment

Oh What Fun – The Negative Turning Point

This week, I reached the negative turning point of my story.  The protagonist is embedded within the new story world.  He’s been called to action, thwarted at every turn, and the stakes have been raised in nearly every scene. There … Continue reading

Posted in bad guys, monsters, nadir, negative, protagonist, turning point, writer | Leave a comment