Remember the grade school track meet where you earned a ribbon for finishing among the top three runners? First place received a red ribbon, second got blue, and third got green. The girls in my class were fast. I attribute their speed to the habit of boys relentlessly pursuing them during recess. Naturally they were…
Category: Blog
What is literary fiction, and should I write it?
According to the Huffington Post, “In essence, the best genre fiction contains great writing, with the goal of telling a captivating story… Literary fiction is composed of the heart and soul of a writer’s being, and is experienced as an emotional journey through the symphony of words.” Well then. This explanation comes from Medium: “The…
Who’s driving?
It’s hard when you begin the journey to sort the wheat from the chaff. Lots of people—good, well-meaning people—keep repeating what they were told. They avoid walking under ladders. They steer clear of black cats. They knock on wood. Generally these efforts don’t cost much, perhaps give a feeling of security, and might provide some…
Deep POV Lesson 12 – One Awesome Scene
This is your last official lesson, Campers. I hope this class has been valuable. For this lesson, I just want you to see a full scene from Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann, the QUEEN of DEEP POV. Please excuse the language—we’ll blame Stan; he’s a Navy SEAL. Enjoy. It was the full moon’s fault….
Predictable vs. Unpredictable
Once, in a writers’ workshop, the presenter said that good fiction dwells upon one protagonist, looking at the world through her eyes as events unfold, events that fundamentally don’t change anything at all, and that the only arc, the only change throughout the book, was the protagonist’s view of events and the lessons she learns….