On the day we celebrate our independence from tyranny, I’d like to discuss some books that remind us why, with all her flaws, the United States of America is, in my opinion, the most successful political experiment in the history of mankind. The following books remind us of the lofty and noble ideals upon which our…
Tag: Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
I Want to Interview Your Character
I don’t care which – protagonist/antagonist – preferably a major player in your latest WIP. This exercise is great for helping us flesh out characters even if those details don’t make it to the page. Having a fully detailed character comes through in other subtle ways. Try it and see – pick your favorite or…
Building Plot Complexity
For most readers, a satisfying plot is a fairly complex one. A single, relatively linear plot can be mildly entertaining, but usually not very memorable or satisfying. A story with not only twists and turns, but with sidetracks and subplots that all seem to somehow tie in, even loosely, give readers a much richer, deeper…
Plotting Whiplash
I remember reading Stephen R. Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever as a teen and feeling frustrated. At the time, I didn’t have the experience to define the source of that frustration, but later in life I was able to put my finger on it. I was reading good-sized books about epic fantasy adventures,…
Addictive Storytelling
The other day I downloaded a book from Amazon onto my Kindle and began to read. About 50 pages in, I suddenly got a vague sense of deja vu, and as I read further, I kept getting that feeling and it kept getting stronger. Finally, about halfway through I couldn’t escape the realization that I’d…