I’ve written about incorporating your hobbies into your work but recently have pondered the opportunities in directly writing on those interests. In much the same fashion as what I’m doing here, writing about your passion is fun. I’ll extend that to any pursuit. If you want to be a writer, filmmaker, painter, actor, etc. start … Continue reading Writing About Hobbies
Tag: Narration
Mere Worth
The pink nail polish on the dollar bill brought a few questions to Stutshi’s mind. ‘What kind of girl could he ever get? Half a fossil… He was a good tipper.’ She scrunched up the dollar and the nail polish cracked in several places revealing the purple paper underneath. ‘Cheap stuff. I wear better nail … Continue reading Mere Worth
The Journal: A Narrative Squared Problem
The journal is the most distilled form of narration in fiction. In essence a character is jotting down their thoughts as they see fit. They are their only audience and are logging those thoughts for their own benefit. There is no outside influence to alter what they put onto the page. This can lead both … Continue reading The Journal: A Narrative Squared Problem
The Big Sell
I want to coin the term scene genre as a shorthand for any conversation using, “It’s that type of scene where…” The formula is so established that by describing one or two facets of the scene the average person can conjure multiple examples of similar scenes in movies, TV, books, etc. Just by this setup: … Continue reading The Big Sell
Action Scene Flow
There’re many ways to construct an action scene and wow an audience. Each providing its thrills chills, bright colors, and loud sounds. It’s a fun ride while you’re on it. Unfortunately much like most else in life there’re as many ways to get an action scene wrong as there are right. One of the fundamentals … Continue reading Action Scene Flow
Solely Spoken
After rereading Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants I noticed a similarity in style to that story and what I’m currently writing. There’s a high bar of quality to match and it has me contemplating the techniques used and how else they can be applied. If you’ve never read the story go straight there. It’s four … Continue reading Solely Spoken
Pausing a Character Arc
The ideal story will have the protagonist’s character arc run parallel to the advancing plot. As each scene flows into the next, the character will progressively advance en route to an end state materially different from whence they started. For most stories, this is the gold standard. But the methodology can differ for tales outside … Continue reading Pausing a Character Arc
Death of an Innocent Character
If you’ve ever written consistently you’re going to find yourself killing someone about one week in. No matter what genre, eventually someone dies. Like death itself, it’s natural and inevitable. But that doesn’t make it easy, unless you don’t care. For this character I’ve got on the chopping block now, I’m getting chewed up. That … Continue reading Death of an Innocent Character
Suspense in Fiction
Readers caught in the grips of suspense are kept locked upon their seats permanently so they may find answers to an unyielding question hopefully on that very next page. The means to obtain such an effect is through the proper use of information in your narrative. Boiled down to its basic components, all information reverts … Continue reading Suspense in Fiction
Travel in Fiction
Here, There, Everywhere, and Back Again
Colin Klawans 