Nic pulled himself from the car and tried to wake up. The cold air helped, but not much. Funny. Nic–every member of the Special Forces for that matter–was trained to take combat naps. It was a useful ability to put yourself into deep sleep for ten or fifteen minutes at a time and come out…
Tag: Voice
Crafting Unforgettable Atmosphere
Recently, I’ve been in the mood for a certain type of book—books like Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier, and the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud (all of which I highly recommend). They’re all dark, spooky, and supernatural. In other words, they all have a certain atmosphere. Atmosphere is…
Rocky Mountain Writer #145
Tim Weed: A Field Guide to Murder & Fly Fishing Tim Weed’s recent short story collection, A Field Guide to Murder & Fly-Fishing, was recently released as an audio book, following the paperback release earlier this year and the hardback release in 2017. The collection made the 2018 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Shortlist and…
Yada Yada Yada: Give Your Characters Distinct Voices
Just like real people, your characters have unique personalities, backgrounds, and worldviews—they should also have unique voices. Newbie authors often miss this lesson, and as a result, all 15 characters in their novel end up sounding exactly like the author. Here’s how I took my writing to the next level by giving my characters their…
Novels Are Like Onions
When I started writing, my biggest hang-up was the misguided notion of Writer with a capital W. If I’m a real Writer, I thought, I should be able to sit down whenever I feel like it and write something good—nay, groundbreaking! If I’m a real Writer, the words should magically pour forth from my sweat…