May 23

You might think everyone knows this, but you would be wrong.

You might think everyone knows this, but you would be wrong.

Originally shared by Karen Conlin

Every time I think it’s useless to rehash basic GUMmy stuff, something happens to prove me wrong. This time it was seeing an incorrectly formed plural possessive of a proper noun in a published children’s book. I saw red. So, I’m writing what’s sure to…

http://grammargeddon.com/2018/05/22/back-to-basics-forming-plural-possessives/
May 14

Carrie Vaughn (who is super smart and a very skilled writer) talks about the structure of Infinity War (with…

Carrie Vaughn (who is super smart and a very skilled writer) talks about the structure of Infinity War (with spoilers, naturally).

She sees it as three movies seamlessly welded together by their B plots.

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/16779737-infinity-war-and-structure?utm_medium=email&utm_source=author_blog_post_digest
Apr 27

Without my day job, my books wouldn’t be full of heroic engineers and civil servants holding society together.

Without my day job, my books wouldn’t be full of heroic engineers and civil servants holding society together.

Originally shared by Alexander M Zoltai

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/making-a-living-from-writing-ken-kesey-nathan-filer?CMP=share_btn_gp
Apr 24

Via Dave Higgins.

Via Dave Higgins. I sometimes call a similar approach to this “mountain peaks above the clouds”; Brandon Sanderson talks about “moments of awesome”. Basically, you’re taking some really strong scenes, set-pieces, or moments and incorporating them into a story outline.

Originally shared by Misha Burnett

On Sunday I attended the matinee of this year’s Circus Flora performance. I have mentioned before in this blog how much I love having a traditional small circus based in my home town. I strongly urge anyone who can arrange the trip to come to St. Louis to…

http://mishaburnett.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/big-top-storytelling/
Apr 16

In Shadowlands, the play based on the life of C.S.

In Shadowlands, the play based on the life of C.S. Lewis, an academic colleague of Lewis mean-spiritedly speculates that Lewis put in so many feasts because he was writing for children and couldn’t put sex in the books. Here’s an alternative explanation.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fantasy-books-food

Apr 16

Despite the clickbait-style headline, this is decent advice.

Despite the clickbait-style headline, this is decent advice. I speak as a reviewer who frequently gives up on books for these reasons.

Start me out with a motivated character in a dynamic, unusual situation, write with good craft, and you’ll probably hold my attention throughout and get a good review from me.

Originally shared by Standout Books

If your book only does one thing, it’s unlikely to keep your reader’s attention.

Find out more with ‘5 Reasons Readers Give Up On Books… And How To Avoid Them’.

http://bit.ly/2FWAG7K

Apr 13

All writers have their preferred methods for inspiration, and for me, it’s always been setting.

Originally shared by Joanna Penn

All writers have their preferred methods for inspiration, and for me, it’s always been setting. I visit a place and find story there, which is why travel is so bound up in my creative process, and why my books often span the globe.

But other writers have other strengths … and weaknesses. One of the most common issues for new fiction writers is “talking heads in an empty white room,” where character and dialogue are fine but the setting is almost entirely missing.

In today’s article, Joseph Bendoski shares some ways to write better settings. #writingtips

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2018/04/13/write-better-settings/?utm_source=googlePlus&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare