How Horror Handicaps Your Writing – Don’t Do This (New Article Series)
I’m starting a new series of writing-craft articles called “Don’t Do This”, taking an in-depth look at some of the more dubious choices made by published authors and TV/film writers/directors/editors, and the reasons you don’t want to copy them without knowing exactly what these elements will cost your story. I want to do this without […]
When Someone Else Writes Your Idea
I’ve faced this issue multiple times: I’ve had a great idea for a story – perhaps I’ve even started writing it – and then I happen to pick up an already-published book, or watch a movie or TV show, and there’s my story smirking back at me. I’m convinced my so-called muse got fed up […]
More on Point of View
I’m still reading Inkspell* (don’t laugh! I’m also reading Life of Pi* and Playful Parenting* and I only get a few minutes a day to gulp down a page or so), but I’m finding this a very interesting example of a multiple viewpoint book. It is addressing a lot of issues I was exploring in […]
Standing Alone
Since I made the decision to turn my trilogy into a stand alone novel I’ve been trying to choose between the options of interweaving the three related stories or running them separately as Parts 1, 2, and 3. My heart likes the former. It will make for a fuller, rounder story, and it will take […]
Literary Fiction versus Popular Fiction
My dear friend Lauri over at Thoughts From Botswana wrote an interesting post on Literary Fiction versus Popular Fiction. These are my thoughts in response: For me plot is art. Characterisation and character relationships are art. There is a real art to constructing a work of fiction that both shows and tells a compelling story […]