Writing Traps

Deus Ex (You)

January 21, 2012

The old Greeks had a tradition that I’ve always found interesting.  In plays, they would let the humans do what humans do—that is to say, mess up their lives unimaginably—and then would lower a god-like creature on a rope to wave his hands and make everything come out in the end.
The pros were that you [...]

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Critical Thought: Do Your Own Work

June 10, 2011

 
In prepping for the first thoughtful piece of the day, I got sidetracked—as often happens—and found myself reading the reviews of novels both recent and older.
I realized something rather sad.
So far as I can see, book reviews—a thing in themselves—serve one of two purposes.
They,
1.) actually rate a book, albeit by the often hidden agenda of [...]

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Idiosyncrasies That Fill Out Your Character

June 3, 2011

 
The idea for this post came to me several days ago, but it did not appear fully formed.
Just now, as I was thinking of how to present this concept, I noticed how I was sitting.
Perched on my “office” chair, and leaning back at an awkward angle, I had one hand behind my neck, and one [...]

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The Opportunity Called Writer’s Block

May 24, 2011

 
Unless you are a writer with a single idea—in which case you are clearly in the wrong business…
Unless you are heavily invested in one concept—and a straight-line, no-nonsense writer who is never distracted…
Unless you have no other projects on the back burner…
Writer’s block is not a problem, it is an opportunity.
But wait! (you cry) How [...]

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Weak Starts, Weak Endings

May 11, 2011

Realistic motive is the key to believability.
Love at first sight may be romantic, but when it happens, it is typically one-sided.  Usually one of the people involved is a bit more level-headed and wants to be sure… and in that lies a story.  If both people see each other and fall instantly, many readers would [...]

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A Secret Power You May Not Know You Have

May 4, 2011

What’s this, you ask?  A super power?  (Actually, I said secret power, but it is pretty super if you use it well.)
And that power?  (Drum-roll, please:)
Pattern Recognition.
What?  Aww… c’mon.
All right.  Just by the sound of it, you’re not impressed, right?  But get this, it is because you are not impressed—for most of you serious writers, [...]

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Telegraphing: Red Shirts and Televison Violence

April 12, 2011

If you watch much TV, especially action / adventure series, you will have surely noticed how often writers telegraph what is to happen rather than using the old standard of foreshadowing.  I first began to notice this back in the old Star Trek days.  You know the drill.  If a team beamed down to some [...]

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Subplot: It’s Not Just for Burying Corpses

April 9, 2011

Subplot.  Subplot.  I’ve heard that word before.
 
Oh!  Right.  A subplot is a secondary story that finds its way into the overall story arc, or the main plot of a novel.
The question is, what is a subplot good for?  Better still, what qualifies—and what doesn’t—to be a subplot?
A subplot is a secondary story-line which is related [...]

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Click, Click, Cliche

February 23, 2011

As I peruse my books on writing looking for an inspiration for a post, a single word has risen, hovering over the pages of many of them.
The word?  Cliché  Odd that I would find so many references in such a short while.
I was pretty sure I knew what a cliché is—and, actually, my understanding matches [...]

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Shut up, won’t you?

November 19, 2010

There.  Did you hear it?  That aggravating voice again.
He follows me, you know.  The owner of that voice.  Wherever I go, he is a step behind, and one to the right or the left—I never know which—only that when I turn, even in a whirling pirouette so fast that I can feel the wind on [...]

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