In preparation for the 2020 RMFW anthology, I’m doing a series of blog posts on short story craft. While plot and character are the two most important elements of your story, setting comes in a close third. In my opinion, setting is the fastest way to elevate a good story to a great one. A…
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Why I Volunteer for RMFW
When I first heard about RMFW, I had been floundering around on my own, convinced there were hardly any other writers in my neck of the woods. I’d met a few writers through a small critique group I belonged to, but it wasn’t until I saw an item about a meeting on the “events” page…
Rocky Mountain Writer #164
Charles McNamara & Ineke’s Mitten Charles McNamara says the idea for his first novel had been percolating in his mind since the 1980’s. That book, Ineke’s Mitten is the story of Nels Torkle, the Nazi occupation of his Norwegian hometown, and the famous assault on Riva Ridge in World War II. Now, Charlie is getting…
Choice Overload
Is your email inbox swollen with “helpful” newsletters and videos? You know the ones, presented by the “Successful Writers” who have found “The Secret” to become (fill-in-the-blank) best-selling authors and astound millions with their novels. Each helpful newsletter or video encourages you to launch a new marketing project (often closely associated with the service the…
Cutting a Trail Through the Jungle of Great Adventure Novels
Adventure novels, at least the really good ones like Peter Heller’s The River, take up a permanent home in our imagination. They rise up from a literary jungle of suspense, following a path cut by the best adventure books of all time. Early childhood friends helped to beat down this well-trodden path: Twain’s Huck Finn,…