Today is a weird happenstance that won’t happen again for 11 years. It’s Easter—it’s also April Fool’s Day. We’re looking for surprises—pranks or Easter Eggs, we’re on the lookout, on the hunt. But so are our readers, and it’s not a one-day-a-year thing for them. Surprise in Fiction Readers like …
My significant other in real life noticed a trend in the men I write—the male protagonists and love interests tend to be rather undersized. They’re not physically intimidating. Here are my current scrawny love interests/protagonists: Solaris— Undersized, scarred with burns from attacks of other Fire clan children and from the …
Previously in Writing Skills: Voice—The Kudzu You Cultivate we talked about voice in your writing—how to decide if you want voice to color your writing, and how your voice takes off into the stratosphere. But is Your Voice Always Channeling You? This is where we get into the deep magic. …
Do You Have a Strong Voice? This is something you mostly hear in politics and publishing—but it means different things in the two venues. In politics, strong voice means: does your voice have traction—can you effect change? In publishing, it’s more like one of those retinal scanners—or the voiceprint security …
Flow, Inspiration, and Seizing the Moment I believe it’s best to let inspiration sweep you along while the flow is coursing through you. Or perhaps you could look at it as surrendering to the moment when cupid is gunning for you. He’s notoriously fickle and his attention doesn’t keep—your love …
The Trunked Horror In the trunk under the bed—the sepulture of failures past—lurk corpses. The person who sleeps atop this trunked graveyard is an author. When you venture onto the author path you hear horror stories. You say to yourself fiercely—not me! I will be smarter. I will choose wisely. …
Do Villains Have an Expiration Date? I didn’t think so in the past—but now I’m starting to suspect it. Not in all cases—there are a few villains that just seem to ferment and develop a richer flavor, but others… not so much. They get kind of rancid—smell a bit off, …
Wish fulfillment is treated like a dirty phrase by critics, writers, and even many readers. But Reading is About Wish Fulfillment Each story is a wish of the writer, the protagonist, the reader. We immerse ourselves in dreams. We spend months or years breathing life into them, till they breathe …
