When You Feel Like Nobody Reads Your Novel

New Podcast Up: A Spectre of Bad Tropes

On this episode we discuss those overused tropes that often get used in modern fiction or film and how to avoid them. What are some good tropes and what are some old tropes that can be turned upside down or reworked for better effect? We also discuss a spoiler-free review of the new James Bond

Using Setting to Develop a Plot

I’ve seen many different articles around the inter-webs about plot development.  Usually there are two schools of thought: Create highly developed character bios and then they will inform what kind of plot needs to develop. Create a highly developed plot and then the characters will take shape based on the plot created. I have another

New Podcast Up: Beginning Lines and Ending Hobbits

In this end of year podcast we discuss the most important beginning of any novel: the first line. The first line is something that writers like Stephen King spend a month preparing. It is the line that hooks the reader, that sets the tone for the novel, and is a sort of “thesis statement” for

Using First Person When Your Narrator Is A Jerk

I’m three chapters and over three thousand words into writing my WIP.  I reached a point yesterday where I stared at a passage and just didn’t know how I was going to write it in third person singular and get the true nuances of what my main character was feeling or what he was thinking

5 Ways to Stay a Writer

This quote by one of my favorite writers (Harlan Ellison) is irrevocably true.  How many students have I taught to write over the years who most likely do not use that skill now that they are adults?  I’m sure the number is more than I’m willing to admit. I consider myself a pretty prolific writer.  I’ve

“The Art of Metaphor” by Jane Hirshfield

I found this fantastic little video that illustrates the importance of using metaphor in our writing.  It’s an animation which uses Jane Hirshfield’s TED talk on the subject of using metaphors in our writing.  Enjoy!