Writing Tips

Novel Writing 101: Early Planning – A Basic Checklist

December 5, 2011

NOVEL WRITING 101
Here we go.
It may strike you as a funny thing to say, but before you start writing your novel, you’re going to need a few things.

An idea
A commitment to the amount of work it will take
The time to write
Access to resources
Oh, yeah… did I mention and idea?

IDEA
Ideas for a novel are everywhere.  They do not [...]

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There Is a Novel in Everybody: It’s Time to Get it Out!

December 3, 2011

Somebody once told me that the best way to learn something, is to teach it.  I don’t know if that is equivocal, or not, but I’ve found it to be true in practice, for the most part.
As I call myself a novelist (because I’ve written novels, not because I’ve sold any), and because I want [...]

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Make Your Readers Catch Their Breath

September 12, 2011

I must sometimes seem like a one-trick pony… or maybe a 5-trick type.  I go visit some ideas over and over.
A modern philosopher I admire used to do the same thing.  He’d publish about a certain idea, let it go for awhile, and come back and hit it again.  So, please don’t be angry if [...]

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Character Resonance

September 1, 2011

Character resonance is a term I use to indicate the amount of harmony, or connection, a reader can share with one or more of the people in your novel.
We like to think of our stories as character-driven because it is in the interaction between characters that we see their humanity, and can most often identify [...]

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Word of the Day: Rusticate

July 28, 2011

Uphill Writing: Word of the Day
Rusticate, v., [ruhs-ti-keyt]
Definition:  To go into or reside in the country; to pursue a rustic life.
Example:  City life had become to complex; rustication, it seemed, was the only answer.
How will you use rusticate in a sentence today?
The Uphill Writing Word of the Day is taken from Dictionary.com, merriam-webster.com, and other [...]

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Falling Toward Experimental Writing…

June 21, 2011

 
Have you ever heard someone take a word, say the adjective “central”, and turn it into a verb?  Centralizing, for example.
How do you feel about that?  Are you OK with it?  Does it bother you?
Do you feel uneasy when you find yourself ending a sentence with a preposition?  Do split infinitives bother you?
Is the Associated [...]

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The Other Side of Blogging – Commenting

June 17, 2011

An important part of growing your blog is reaching out to other people, to other bloggers, that is, and making both a good impression, and building a strong relationship.
I can think of no better way of doing that, than by commenting on blogs which share your topic or point of view.
There are [...]

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Born for Action; Made for the Chase

June 11, 2011

 
In a good many adventure novels, it seems that the main character is created of whole cloth specifically for “mission” at hand.
 
In many ways this is precisely how the character is conceived.  As the author, the planner—”god” of the pocket Universe your character inhabits—you decide ahead of time what you need, and who best can [...]

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When to NOT Close the Door: It’s About Flow

June 1, 2011

 
We’ve all seen it in movies and TV.  Someone opens the door to a house and walks in, but does not close the door behind them.
Perhaps you’ve asked yourself why this is.
I’ve thought of two reasons.  Probably the most likely is that the camera couldn’t follow the person into the room if the door was [...]

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From Cow Path to Jet Stream, and Beyond

May 31, 2011

 
In an earlier post today, I wrote about some of my school experiences.  The reminiscences got me thinking about my teachers, especially English and Creative Writing teachers.
As I said, I was a product of the 50s, and that made my teachers a product of the 20s and 30s.  You know, back in the day when [...]

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