April is National Poetry Month, so in honor of that, I’m going to share one way that dabbling in poetry can help your fiction. Specifically, have you ever considered using poetry as a way to find distinct voices for your characters? Years ago, I attended a short workshop by Lance Larsen, poet laureate for Utah…
At last, Spring is here. Now I’ll have time to work on my own stuff. My first order of business is to complete some of my spec fiction stories, many of which have languished unfinished for years. After scrolling through my short stories folder, I decided it was high time I finish a story about…
When writing, I begin each new novel by composing the last chapter first. Thus, I have a target toward which to steer my narrative. I often challenge myself by placing my characters as far as possible–emotionally and geographically–from the feeling and setting of my finale. Just to be clear, I’m not kidding when I declare…
Writing a novel is no laughing matter. Or is it? Incorporating humor into your writing can add depth, lighten the mood, and make your characters more relatable. But how do you add humor without turning your novel into a comedy? Here are six things to keep in mind so you can strike the right balance….
When last year’s Bizarre Bazaar anthology was published, Colorado’s changing climate was already on my mind. In December 2021, a few weeks after that feeble dusting that registered as Denver’s latest first snowfall on record, the Marshall Fire incinerated a thousand homes in Louisville and Superior. Gale force winds drove the inferno through entire neighborhoods….