Character Profile: Deacon Carver
As part of a writing course I was recently taking, we were asked to develop some character profiles.
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
Writing
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
Thinning the Plot: AKA Killing Your Darlings
I want to explain about extraneous plot, and how I’m trimming a big chunk out of the last third of a novel to make the story flow better. There’s also consequences to the characters by doing it.
Creativity, William Shakespeare, Writing
Recontextulizing Romeo
I think there’s an opportunity to give Romeo and Juliet a very satisfying twist. Think on this: How does Romeo’s time alone in Mantua challenge his feelings for Juliet?
Creativity, Science Fiction, writer's life, Writing
Kill Your Darlings: There Goes A Whole Theme
One theme I wanted to explore in the first Deacon Carver book was how bureaucracy weighs down organizations. One of my key scenes for demonstrating that was in Deacon’s onboarding process, where he confronts the concept of “cost-to-company.”
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
(Where is) A Writer’s Toolbox (Part 3)
This is long overdue, and I apologize. But it will be a while yet. There are two reasons you haven’t
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
A Writer’s Toolbox (Part 2)
This is a three-part post. The first focuses on software and websites that offer Software as a Service. The second
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
A Writer’s Toolbox (Part 1)
With over twenty years’ experience as a writer, I thought I’d share some software and Software-as-a-Service sites that I’ve found indispensable,
writer's life, Writing
Making Money Ain’t Easy
Look, we’re all struggling to make money, authors as much as anyone else. As a writer, you can focus all
Creativity, Writing
The Impact of a Title
Writers think carefully about what to call their stories. So do publishers. I have one story that may be being hindered by its title. Let me expla
critical thinking, writer's life, Writing
Trigger Warning: Rant About Trigger Warnings Ahead
A discussion among authors around a list of suggested trigger warnings got me to thinking: how would the books that influenced me stack up to this list?