Tales of an apocalypse – Part IX “The Storm”
Emily stands in the field, the faded green of her sweatshirt the only relief from the straw yellow of the dead grass. A dust devil dances across the road and goes whirling away, a twisting funnel of...
View ArticleLife Insurance
Once upon a time, things had been different in a grand old sort of way. A life lived on the upper edge as if soaring ever onward on the silver tipped wings of a peregrine falcon. Life had unfurled,...
View ArticleThumbscrews: How and When to Ratchet up the Tension in Stories
Originally posted on A Crack in the Pavement: A long time ago I was taught an excellent lesson: Surround yourself with smart people and listen. My Wednesday guest blogger is such a person. We met a few...
View ArticleExploration and You: Advice for Pantsters
Originally posted on A Crack in the Pavement: While I’m on injured reserve Molly Martin has agreed to step up to the plate. My goal is to see you on Friday. Fingers Crossed. Until then…..Molly, take it...
View ArticleWords Matter: Quest for Equality in a World of “Girls”
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of editing of my and others’ work. As writers, we know that words are powerful. They are also delicate and easy to misuse. During my time as a student of Linguistics, I...
View ArticleThe Pleasure and Pain of Editing
Editing can be daunting for a number of reasons, not least of which is the time investment, but ...for most writers, it's a lack of understanding of how to edit.
View ArticleTales of an apocalypse – Part X “The Whit”
Two heavily armed Humvees and a police cruiser went by the house. Skylar was relieved there was no wind. Fog hung heavily like old worries. At least the lack of a breeze would mean no tear gas blowing...
View ArticleElement 1 – Big Trouble
"What's the what?" My ever zen writing workshop instructor, Charlie, used to ask this question. Plotters, you need to know this before you start. Pansters, you need to know this by the end.
View ArticleElement 2 – Dramatic Question
The big, overarching question the story will try to answer, always related to the inner and outer conflicts of Big Trouble.
View ArticleElement 3 – The Ordinary World
Let's meet our Main Character in their natural environment and find out why we should care about them.
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