We all have our favorite books as writers. All of us have that author we would aspire to write like and have the successes that that particular writer has had. One problem that plagues many amateur writers is their self-imposed need to be exactly like “so and so” because that author is successful or has … Continue reading »
Filed under Writing Techniques …
3 Techniques for Writers from a Philip K. Dick Novel
I just finished reading The Man in the High Castle by the late Philip K. Dick, and if you like to read science fiction (or write it, like me) this book is for you. For those of you not familiar with the novel, it is an alternate reality story set in a world where the Axis … Continue reading »
Woody Allen Gives Brilliant Interview
Observe as Woody Allen spins out joke after joke, completely deadpan, from an incredibly creative mind. Oh, to have his creative spark!
Falkontheorie Gone?
German writer Paul Heyse (1830-1914) based his theory of Falkontheorie on the ninth tale of the fifth day of the Decamaron. The tale is about a man who sacrificed everything for the love of a woman and when he still rejected her he then sacrificed his prize falcon as well, thereby winning her heart. The idea or … Continue reading »
A Guest Post on “A Side of Writing”
H. Conrad Miller over at “A Side of Writing” has featured a guest post by yours truly. Miller writes about his writing process and other great writing tips. Go over and check it out!
Texting and the Modern Novel
My students text more than they speak or write. The biggest problem I have is getting my students to write formally without using the “texting language” that has somehow devoured their ability to write professionally. In a recent TED talk, John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University stated that texting cannot be considered written language … Continue reading »
Pain Informs the Writer
This week I have been thinking much about bullying. Today we attended an assembly led by a parent of an 11 year old boy who killed himself after being bullied. Also this week my son was involved in a bullying incident, but through our help and encouragement he learned how to deal with the situation … Continue reading »
What Science Writers Can Learn from Fiction Writers
I read an interesting article today from Wired magazine’s science page. In it, Maryn McKenna writes about a conference she attended called Science Online, a gathering in South Carolina for journalists, science writers, bloggers and scientists. One thing she said in the article really caught my eye: What science writing can learn from crap novels (her title). The … Continue reading »
2012 Has Been a Very Good Year for Me
It has been a great year, blogging friends! I wrote some blog posts that are still being viewed every day like Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers and my Scrivener “how to” posts. This year I met tons of new friends on the blog that I wouldn’t have met staying in my own little corner of the world … Continue reading »
NaNoWriMo Time Management Tip #1: Compartmentalizing
Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo, and even though I am not participating, I thought I would help out my fellow writers out there who are feverishly typing away to manage their time well. I write 1000 words a day even if I don’t feel like doing so. It is my daily regimen. If … Continue reading »
