This one is embarrassing. It causes me a good bit of consternation to thing that when I started out writing, I didn’t really understand this as the most basic thing EVAH. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Drawing for the non-artist
Posted onIn my ongoing subseries on world building (see installments 1 and 2), I’ve been wrestling with the issue of maps. I freakin’ love maps. Continue reading
The Power of Possibility
Posted onI wrote recently about the challenges I was facing in the world building portion of creating my novel, Colin’s Monster – The Horde. It has seemed like such an overwhelming task because, as experienced fantasy and sci-fi authors will already know, world building involves not just the story of a few characters but the story of the universe in which the characters’ stories take place. The universe! THE FREAKIN’ UNIVERSE!!! Continue reading
Things I’ve Learned About Writing, #7a
Posted onThis entry is a corollary to my last entry on the subject of how questions are used. If you’ll remember, I hate when I see authors (especially myself) use a question to draw out the movement of plot rather than reveal more about characters. Ugh. So here’s another gem I try to remember about questions: Continue reading
Story Building
Posted onThis from the department of irony…
Colin’s Monster – The Horde is the first book in a mid-grade/YA fantasy series I’m writing with my own sons in mind. The plot is mapped out pretty well. Characters are developed (in my mind). The story and scenes are solid. The overarching theme is strong and extendable. But now I’ve come to what I suspect will be the hard part for me: building the story world. Continue reading
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do.
Posted onWe all have heard the rules about how to be a better writer. But not like this. (Apologies in advance for some crude language.)
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do..
Pixar story rules one version
Posted onRan across this on reddit and I’m so glad I did. Pixar makes great movies because they tell great stories, not because they cast the trendiest star or do mind-blowing animation.
The Pixar Touch – history of Pixar – Blog – Pixar story rules one version.
These are tweets from Pixar story artist Emma Coats. Continue reading
Vocation, Vacation and Moving
Posted onI have been out of sorts lately. My family and I bought a new home, did some renovations to it, entertained in-laws, celebrated my daughter’s “graduation” from preschool and annual recital, moved out of a rental house (which required a fair bit of clean-up after a family of six lived in it for a year and a half) and into the new house. To top it all off, all this had to be done in the course of about a three week window before a much needed vacation. As a result, I’ve made pretty much no progress on any of my WIPs. Next week, I’ll be back at it with a vengeance.
Later on.