Put Some Meat on those Bones
Category: Writing
Eureka Thief
After excitedly retelling your completely never before seen idea to your friend they reply back with, “Oh yeah, that sounds a lot like Harry Potter. I loved those books.” How do you react? Do you ignore your friend? Do you fume? Fear? Not every idea you’ll have will be original. By my estimate, I can … Continue reading Eureka Thief
Rickety Tickety Soapbox
Where the story stops and the author doesn't.
Come On, You Know What I’m Talking About
The reference is a powerful, yet often unwittingly misused tool in the writer’s belt. The right reference in the right time and context can leave an audience rolling with laughter or if everything go awry, scratching their scalps bloody. As the name implies, a reference is the act of bringing up an event, concept, saying, … Continue reading Come On, You Know What I’m Talking About
Cabin Fever Blues
And yes this is normally a writing blog. But there’s little normalcy to enjoy in these times. Hunker down. Adapt. Most of all, live. It feels an anachronism to experience a massive outbreak of disease; like a story your grandparents would tell about their parents and grandparents was suddenly projected onto a big screen, full … Continue reading Cabin Fever Blues
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
Colin Klawans 