A picture really is worth a thousand words, sometimes more. Humans are visual creatures and as writers, we rely on our sense of sight above all the others. As storytellers, we use written visuals to tell a story by creating pictures with words instead of paint. The earliest known stories before recorded language were written…
Author: Karen Duvall
Still Learning
I’m on a borrowed computer at the moment because yesterday I tried to update my system software and it failed. Now the darn thing won’t even boot. Computers are such a pain. So it means a trip to the repair shop later this morning. This post is a continuation of my last post about the…
You Can Never Learn Too Much
When it comes to writing, there’s always more to learn, either through instruction or experience. I think most writers love to learn, or simply to refresh what we think we already know. You may have heard of the famous University of Iowa Writers Workshop that’s held every summer. I know of a few writer friends who…
Are Your Characters Larger than Life?
So what exactly is a “larger than life” character? You hear that term bandied about all the time, especially as one of the attributes agents and editors are looking for in a good story. If you were to take the term literally, you’d be wrong. It fact, larger than life is often misused and assigned…
Role Play for Fiction Writers
role-play·ing ˈrōlˌplāiNG/ noun noun: roleplay 1. PSYCHOLOGY — the acting out or performance of a particular role, either consciously (as a technique in psychotherapy or training) or unconsciously, in accordance with the perceived expectations of society with regard to a person’s behavior in a particular context. Adult role play comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s therapeutic, sometimes it’s…