Numbed Apathy for the Red Sparrow Trilogy

I’ve been plugging my way through the Red Sparrow trilogy by Jason Mathews and now I’m at the last book — boy is that apparent. It reads like a last book. Like he’s run out of ways to convey his story. And before I start trashing another author from my glass house, my tiny, poorly … Continue reading Numbed Apathy for the Red Sparrow Trilogy →

Outside the Name

Fictional languages and how to get started.

Parameters of Intangibles

I'm plucking daisies on the moon with this one

Hammer it Home: Repetition and Reinforcement in Stories

I was watching Aladdin with a stomach full of Thanksgiving goodness, light-hearted without the typical wall of criticism that accompanies a writer, and enjoyed the film immensely. If only I could flip that switch without copious saturated fats and the good drink, I’d be a happier human being. What struck me watching the film were … Continue reading Hammer it Home: Repetition and Reinforcement in Stories →

Advice and Rules for Technical Prose Or: Writing Advice I Picked Up Reading a Bad Novel

A Demon in Silver by R.S. Ford is, in some grand scope of literature from on high, not the worst book ever written by any stretch; but I laughed my abs stiff reading it. And to the author’s credit (before I savagely bash his work) I am rarely compelled to finish a novel I didn’t … Continue reading Advice and Rules for Technical Prose Or: Writing Advice I Picked Up Reading a Bad Novel →

I See Your Logic and I Raise One Finger

Keep the edge. Carry the suspense. Subvert the expectation. One small twist and boom!

Satire is Dead, Again, Forever, Again

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, world renowned professional liar Penn Jillette spoke about a Sid Vicious slot machine in the Hard Rock which read over its entrance, “The only notes that count are the ones that come in wads.” From this he deduced, “Satire is dead.” I’ll give the entertaining … Continue reading Satire is Dead, Again, Forever, Again →

Where’re We Going? Eh, Who Cares. (Writing a Story Without Plot)

There’s madness in every direction. No escape. No savior’s light at the end of the tunnel. Well, why go in search for one when you can just live the ride for its wildness?

Pavlov’s Reader: How to Train Your Audience to Your Prose.

You’re not the only writer out there (I advise to, most likely a host of, other writers here). You’ve read your own writings along with the writings – as wild and intricate as they come – of many authors. You’re prose is unique, which is good; but then again it’s unique, which is perplexing—especially in … Continue reading Pavlov’s Reader: How to Train Your Audience to Your Prose. →

Master Hand’s Multiple Personality Disorder.

The Peaks and Pitfalls of Multiple Character Narration