Several years ago when I was attending critique a lively discussion was prompted by one of the members asking the group if we thought of ourselves as writers or authors. I was surprised by the fervor some exhibited in response to that question. The person who’d brought it up was the group’s constant devil’s advocate,…
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I’m Better Than You
So in this writing game, part of the currency authors are paid in is status. Money might come, but even more important than fabulous cash prizes, in some circles, is status. And how do you get status? Oh, the status game has many markers. Who is your agent? Oh, that’s your agent? Wow. You get…
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Non-Human Characters
Birds and beasts, werewolves and vampires, fairies and trolls, rakshasas and dragons and inari okami (and did you think of a western European dragon or a Chinese dragon)? Aliens. Some or all of these can populate your work . . . for good or ill. Liesa Malik and I will be talking about writing non-human…
Creating Dynamic Characters
As you’ve probably noticed, there are a thousand-and-one approaches to character development. A lot of writers use work sheets that ask for details ranging from eye color and shoe size to favorite song and which high school the character graduated from. I think these sheets are awesome, but since I am not detail oriented and get easily distracted, I have yet to complete one. Inevitably I get bored and wander off to write something more exciting.
Endings and Endings Problems:
By Robin D. Owens Endings are extremely important. You want the reader to be satisfied, more, to remember that you gave them a good finish and look forward to your next book. Here are some problems I, as a reader and writer, find in endings: I had a favorite author (male writing under a female…