Opening Images: The Woman in Black
I love a great opening image. As with so many aspects of story composition, creating that great opening image is a balancing act – but […]
writing tips
Crafting Supporting Characters: Robert Sawyer and GRR Martin Show How It’s Done
I’m a great admirer of authors who make exceptional use of supporting characters. A cast of extras is fun to write, of course. And supporting […]
Fun and Games Inside the Belly of the Beast
Somebody who would be a brilliant writer if he stuck with it said to me, “I got a good ways in and then the whole story […]
Do, Don’t Think
I have “Do, don’t think,” written on a post-it perched by my computer screen. My note has two applications. When I’m trying to get through […]
The Ideas on the Train
Your characters are most obliging about bringing you the best story ideas. JK Rowling once said that she was sitting on the train one day and Harry […]
A Branch and a Turning Point
I love the story “Poor Thing” by KM Vaghela. Fellow editor Jen Landels suggested that I draw the branch that the story turns on. I […]
Storytelling and the Writer’s Mind
It seems as if our writers’ minds are working all the time. Take your third act, for example. Everything you’ve outlined and drafted from the […]
The Value of Feedback
Writers love feedback. No, let me clarify: Good writers love feedback. I have just finished sending out critiques for Hummingbird contest entrants who paid an […]
Pacing, Description, and Painted Toes
Pacing is a tricky learning curve for some, like me. Other writers seem to have an intuitive feel for it and know just when to […]
Making the Cow Creamer Matter
Writing light comic fiction is tricky, because funny won’t carry a full-length novel on its own. Something big needs to be at stake, and I […]