(originally posted to the Writers Co-op, January 2018) Well, my publisher just called it a day, announcing a couple of weeks ago that Bookkus was closing. I thought I’d write about it because I know some of you would just like to know (Mimi was very active on the site for quite some time), and…
How often we recall, with regret, that Napoleon once shot at a…editor and missed him and killed a publisher. But we remember, with charity, that his intentions were good. -Mark Twain. Letter to Henry Alden, 11 November 1906. First you have the writer who can write but can’t spell. Then you have the editor who…
[Note: This post was originally published on the Writers’ Co-op page back in February. I was going to post it here too at the time, but I guess I was just too depressed to bother. Sorry about that. ] Well, my publisher just called it a day, announcing a couple of weeks ago that Bookkus…
Post 24 Character Development – Keeping notes. My first bit of advice about character development is simple – keep notes. Especially if you want to write a story laden with multiple characters it’s very important to strive for consistency in characterization. I know, I know… we’ve all read and seen stories where the coward suddenly…
Looking back over my old posts I realized I haven’t spent much time talking about characterization, having devoted only one post (#12) to it. Well, let’s change that. In many stories (especially genre stories) characterization is the ignored feature. How often have you read a review (for a book, a movie, or a tv series)…
The last don’t do I want to discuss for now is really simple – don’t steal plots. Every so often I come across a posted story that elicits a sense of déjà vu as I continue to read. Then it strikes me – this is just (put title of famous novel or movie here) rehashed…
Don’t forget to do your homework. Huh? Aren’t we talking about writing? Yes, we are, and by homework I mean research. Even fiction requires that you present the reader with a sense that you know what you are talking about. Small slips are common in writing, especially anachronisms. In Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar, Act II, Scene…
Well, it’s been a while since my last post, and to get started up again I just thought I’d mention a few things that I see writers do in their first novels that really are wrong. So let me start with this: Are you writing a novel or a screen play? Every so often I’ll…
This one’s a Holiday gift to all those poor line editors and writing teachers out there. I share your pain! Well, the semester’s over. Released for a time, the mind wanders to strange odd thoughts – what if Shakespeare had been a college professor? Could ‘Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ instead be “Hamlet, Instructor of Writing’? …
Last time, I used ‘The Walking Dead’ as an example of consistency in world building, but ended with an implication that this may be changing. The main reason is the way they’ve skirted their “rule” that any character can die. The most egregious case is the character of Glenn. Now he’s a good character and…