January 2010

Here and Now, There and Then

January 31, 2010

One of the TRAPS in fiction writing is dating your material.
Referring to something that is in the news, or of pop culture, you are in fact staking down your story in time.
Pick up a book you read in High School, one that meant a lot to you back in the day.  Do you find yourself [...]

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Good, or Good Enough?

January 31, 2010

In any community you find a similar mix.
You’ll find people who are quick, and people who are slow.  You’ll find people who like to laugh, and those who are serious in the extreme.   You’ll find people who are nice or grumpy, a few leaders and a lot of followers.
In a writing community you also have:
People [...]

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The Right to Your Copy

January 31, 2010

One of the questions I hear constantly, is this:  If I post my (story, chapter, essay, excerpt, poem, or other written work) online, can someone steal it from me?
Of course the answer is yes.  It’s as easy as mark, copy and paste.
But this does not mean that your work is not protected.
Copyright law very clearly [...]

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Taking It To the Next Level

January 31, 2010

Everybody you know has a computer, right?  These days it is an odd household that doesn’t have at least one.  Come to think of it, if you didn’t have a computer–or at least access to one–you wouldn’t be reading this.
Back in the day when computers in the home were brand new, better than 90% of [...]

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Past vs. Passed

January 31, 2010

Keeping these words straight can be very difficult.  They sound so much alike that in speech it takes a well-tuned ear to tell them apart.  Especially if the speaker isn’t clear about which is which.
These examples should help:
The old man passed away.
The Center passed the ball.
She passed me the note.
I moved past the crowd.
I am [...]

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A Question of Balance

January 30, 2010

I’m a novelist.  <BLAT!>
Cheeze.  Sorry.  That’s the Truth Machine I’ve just added.    Okay, so I’m trying to be a Novelist…  ah.  No ugly noise.
Let me start again.  I’m a writer.  I write.  I write every day.  Well, most days.  See?  (No nasty noise.  That’s good, right?)
So I’ve got this novel… and it’s nearly done.  The [...]

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Affect vs. Effect

January 30, 2010

Affect vs. Effect
This is a good to demystify.  On the face of it, the words are easily differentiated.  The Quick and Dirty way to do so is to remember that:
Affect is a verb. (a-FECT)
After a few drinks, Bernard will affect an Irish accent.
Effect is a noun.
The car explosion was a special effect.
However, watch for these [...]

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Getting Help: A Fresh Breeze on a Stale Day – Part 2

January 30, 2010

Continued from Part 1

So, what do we do when this happens?
Personally, I’m learning to ask for help.  (Shudder, did he say the “H” word?)
Yeah.
“Hi, my name is Rik”
“Hi, Rik.”
“And sometimes I ask for help.”
(gentle applause)
OK, so how does it look?
Well, it looks like email, instant messages, a telephone, or (shudder) a face to face meeting [...]

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Getting Help: A Fresh Breeze on a Stale Day – Part 1

January 30, 2010

So, there you are at the keyboard, sweating blood, and trying to get your characters to react in a reasonable way, because, well, hell, you know where they have to be at the end of the chapter, and at the end of the book (or story).
You’ve heard writers say that they love it when their [...]

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How to Write Forever

January 30, 2010

I love to write.  I wish I knew how to Write Forever.
The fact is, even if you are a 12 year-old blogger, you won’t write forever.  It might be that you become inspired by a new thing.  Photography, perhaps… or cartooning, or building kayaks.  It might be that you fall prey to what creeps up [...]

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