Many of today’s writers write series books with recurring characters. Sue Grafton probably takes the prize for the most books with the same character with her alphabet mystery series starring Kinsey Milhone. Typical readers breeze through these books, enjoying the stories and feeling very comfortable with the characters. Those characters that reappear become the readers’ […]
Archives for March 2016
What in the World is Writer’s Block?
I recently heard experts talking about the difficulties in finishing creative projects. Basically they were discussing the effects of writer’s block. On the program, hosted by Studio 360, psychiatrists and psychologists and people who study the brain explored whether or not writer’s block is real. Some people believe writer’s block is an excuse people use […]
Getting Schooled–Flash Fiction
If you enjoy short, short stories, take a few minutes, kick off your shoes, prop up your feet and… Click To Tweet _____________________ Clyde had trouble keeping up with the group. They flew past him no matter how hard he struggled. He changed his breathing to give himself a boost. Huff, puff, hold. Huff, puff, […]
5 Tips for How to Use Critique Groups
I’m one of those writers who has not found a good critique group. My community has a few writer’s groups, and I’ve tried to participate, but none have met my needs. Nonetheless, I value getting feedback on my work. Several years ago, I found an online service, the Critique Circle, that enables me to get […]
Q&A with Thriller Writer O. N. Stefan
Today we welcome O.N. Stefan to our blog #amwriting #writing #thrillers Click To Tweet Olga is an accomplished writer of suspense thrillers. That’s a genre I particularly enjoy. Let’s find out more about Olga and how she comes up with her stories. JC: First, Your website tells us little about you. What do you do when […]
Are You a Split-Personality Writer?
I recently saw the movie The Lady in the Van with Maggie Smith. This is the story about a homeless woman who parks her van in Alan Bennett’s driveway for fifteen years. It is a true story. One aspect of the movie I found interesting was Mr. Bennett’s writing style. He played two roles: his […]
Straight Man by Richard Russo My Book Review
Truth be told, I’m not an easy man #amreading #bookreview Click To Tweet  This was the first line of Richard Russo’s novel, Straight Man. And, truth be told, this is not an easy book. As first lines go, that one ranks up there with the best. It captures the essence of this book. Indeed William Henry Devereaux, […]
Characters That Make Me Stop Reading
Recently I started a book and got about half-way through the first chapter and put the book down… Click To Tweet The main character was already annoying me. Her internal dialogue was selfish and immature. Her reactions pointless. I couldn’t relate to her at all. Granted, we writers want to create characters who grow and […]
7 Tips for Writing Great Dialogue
I’ve blogged on dialogue before, but because dialogue is so important to good fiction-writing, I decided to revisit the topic. Before we look at the seven tips, let’s talk about what great dialogue is and what it isn’t… Click To Tweet First, great dialogue flows seamlessly. If the reader has to go back to figure […]
