Lessons Let Me Interrupt You There 23 Mar 202028 Nov 2021 Talking It Out) Being interrupted is one of the most hated parts of communication. Every idea that we speak of comes with it a desire to be completed. To be…
Lessons Divided Attention 16 Mar 202028 Nov 2021 I am currently writing a mystery story, and this type of tale presents a most unusual dilemma. In most mysteries the author must hold the attention of the reader, but…
Lessons Stories Are Like Onions 9 Mar 202028 Nov 2021 A Story of a Story) There is an account in the Old Testament of the prophet Nathan coming to King David and relating a story to him. Nathan told of…
Lessons The Magic Trick 2 Mar 202027 Nov 2021 The Paradox) Every great trick begins with a promise. Even before the magician takes the stage, there is an implied understanding that the audience is going to be shown something…
Lessons Down the Rabbit Hole 24 Feb 202027 Nov 2021 Wandering Thoughts) The story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland opens with a girl who is bored. Thus it is an easy thing for her fancy to be captured when a white…
Lessons The Quiet After the Storm 17 Feb 202027 Nov 2021 Releasing Tension) Last Thursday we saw the apex of action in The Soldier's Last Sleep. Since the very beginning of the story I have been teasing a close-quarters battle between…
Lessons Putting a Story Through Its Paces 10 Feb 202027 Nov 2021 For nearly a year I've been working in earnest on my own novel, and much of that time has been spent in just getting the outline to the point that…
Lessons Making a List, Checking it Numerous Times 3 Feb 202027 Nov 2021 Some Theoretical Lists) Last week I mentioned that a story can often be broken into a series of lists. The most obvious of these is a list of sequential events,…
Lessons …And Then the Hero Stalls For Time 27 Jan 202027 Nov 2021 Talking to People) In my life I have spoken to people, and as such, I have listened to my fair share of life stories that dragged on and on with…
Give Me Pen and Paper 