It’s a term I made up to describe a twist in fiction that can make the “black moment” more shocking to a reader. The black moment is a part of the basic structure of fiction that has been knocking around for centuries. The inciting incident. The mounting tension. Complications. Climax. The black moment. Denouement. There…
Tag: Books
TO SERIALIZE OR NOT TO SERIALIZE
SERIALIZE (sîr′ē-ə-līz′) verb 1. to transform cookies, donuts, waffles, french toast, crunch berries, etc. into miniature candy-like form to be dredged in milk and consumed for breakfast. 2. to broadcast or publish (something, such as a story) in separate parts over a period of time. No sooner was my latest thriller Presence of Malice released…
Saul Goodman Wants Your Book
I was going to call this blog “Saul Goodman wants to review your contract” but then no one would read it because contracts are boring. And everyone knows that Susan Spann is the lawyer you want to work with. Duh. Who is Saul Goodman? Come on, guys, he’s the lawyer in Breaking Bad. And if…
WRITING THEMES: Do we choose them? Or do they choose us? by Joan Johnston
Why do all my books have “abandoned or neglected children” as an underlying theme? Until about book 25 (I’m writing book 57 now), when another writer pointed it out to me, I had no idea that this issue resonated throughout my writing. I’d grown up in a family of seven children and my parents had remained…
ONE OF THESE THINGS JUST DOESN’T BELONG HERE…
My ruminations today are on the delicate balance between presenting our readers with something they want to read vs. challenging them to read something that is uncomfortable and even unpleasant but that might stick with them a little longer. It starts with the photo I’ve included with this post. While browsing blogs and online news…