top of page

May 7, 2011
Subtext in Dialog
Dialog in fiction is a proving ground for a writer. Here is where your ear for truth, your understanding of your characters, and your...
Apr 26, 2011
The Heart of POV
A while back, I posted on point of view (POV), a primer on what it’s all about and the basic navigation principles for mucking about with...


Apr 13, 2011
How Much is Enough?
Do you have to wait until you’re in the mood to write? Are you blithely making excuses for not writing? Is this non-writing the result,...
Apr 5, 2011
Where your plot begins
How do you start a story? Do readers expect a nice big grabber scene? And at what point does the plot kick in? I said in my last post,...
Mar 29, 2011
Fiction Myths
Not everything you read on writing blogs is true. It kills me to admit it, but sometimes I’m just dead wrong. Blogs, even by seasoned...
Mar 20, 2011
Show Me
There’s an odd dance we play with character. Major characters should come alive on the page. But we can’t label them, point at them, tell...


Mar 16, 2011
Story Engineering Made Clear
Until 3/25/11, receive a gift with purchase (see below). Once in a while a writing book comes along that is so good it has to be on your...
Feb 28, 2011
The Mush Factor
I’m tilting at windmills here. I’m against chapters. I know you love ’em. Thus the tilting. Eventually we’ve got to make up tidy little...
Feb 22, 2011
Scare of the Week
I read the other day that comic books may someday outsell traditional stories. I got worried. Man, I can’t draw! (Comic books are no...
Feb 14, 2011
Get Wild
Think of your favorite characters from recent books and film. Were they self-effacing and dependable? Did they wear beige and hate to...
Feb 8, 2011
Let It Rest
I’m going to tell you something that you don’t want to hear. I know you don’t because I don’t want to hear it either. But here goes. Stop...


Jan 30, 2011
What Starts a Story?
There are many doors into a story. I’ve heard writers say they start with character or an image from the plot. Both are great jumping off...
Jan 24, 2011
The Essential Scene List
Sometimes writing a novel isn’t so much about deep character or tight plot, but about something far more mundane: like keeping track of...
Jan 18, 2011
The Big Dream
What is your writing dream? Is to finally break into publishing, to see your novel on the bookstore shelf and to enter into the elite...
Jan 10, 2011
Plotting: A Stubborn Grace
OK, we’re talking plot again. Let’s say you’re telling your story to a group around a campfire. Are they hugging their knees in fear and...
Jan 3, 2011
Know Your Genre
We don’t like to think of categories for our writing. We write from the heart, giving our perspective of the world and the human heart....
Dec 27, 2010
My Top 5 Reads of 2010 and their Engines
I failed miserably this year to keep up with all the good fiction reads coming out. I was distracted by research reading, my son’s...


Dec 14, 2010
Writing Fast, Writing Slow
Someone asked me how fast I write; I think what they mean is, how fast should they write. People are seldom worried about writing too...
Dec 5, 2010
You Can’t Give it Away
Here’s the thing about feedback on your writing. Lots of what you get from others is wolf stuff in sheep’s clothing. It can be bogus,...
Nov 21, 2010
The Heart of Your Story
Today I’m putting down yet another book that I hoped would grip me in a dramatic embrace. Nope, it didn’t. I’m quitting on page 80. If...
bottom of page