Inventing a character seems pretty basic. You give him (or her, or it) a name, you visualize a face, maybe even conjure up a voice. Not just a literary voice, but a real one, one you can actually hear. You develop mannerisms, manufacture a backstory, and–then what? Throw your character into a situation, of course….
How many of us writers are perfectionists? Oh, look, all of us. Honestly, who sits down to create the most mediocre story possible? Striving to write something great isn’t the problem. The issue arises when we demand greatness immediately, in the first draft. The next time you find yourself paralyzed by lofty literary ambitions or…
Okay, I’ll be honest. Until the past few years, when I heard the term, AI, I thought it meant, Artificial Insemination. Seriously. I’ve worked around cattle…and…well…. I’ve gotten over that little communication hitch. What Is Artificial Intelligence? A = Artificial = false, fake, bogus, simulated, faux, imitated, mimic, counterfeit. I = Intelligence = Intellect, aptitude,…
As fiction writers, one of the most important tasks we have is to keep our readers wanting more. One way to do that is through the use of surprise. But what happens when the surprise becomes too predictable? We’ve all read novels where we could easily anticipate what was coming and found ourselves disappointed when…
I think it’s time to talk about filter words. I feel that filter words are sneaky. I look around and see them everywhere. I wonder if they’re unnecessary, because they seem to clutter up our writing. I remember how easily they can slip into our writing yet how hard they can be to delete. Yes,…