Improving Technique Four Years In 30 Apr 20222 Sep 2022 Each of these anniversaries seems to come faster than the last. I've been working on this blog for four years now, and it seems both longer and shorter than that…
Improving Technique Update on My Novel: Month 35 1 Apr 20228 Apr 2022 This was the first full month for work on my novel after I took a brief break. I admit that I felt daunted going back to this large project, but…
Lessons Let Them Make Their Own Choices 14 Feb 202221 Feb 2022 Decisions, Decisions) A piece of advice commonly given to new parents is that at some point their child has to make their own decisions, even when those decisions are to…
Lessons Many Possible Endings 31 Jan 20227 Feb 2022 The Surprise Ending) I don't believe I have ever begun a story where I didn't already know how it would end. And yet...I have had many stories that then turned…
Lessons How to Change a Heart 2 Aug 202130 Dec 2021 Christmas Hearts) Character development is a central consideration of every tale. Most stories are not just about what things happened, but about how those events changed a character forever. Consider…
Lessons Broken Rules 12 Jul 202130 Dec 2021 Curiosity Satisfied) In the 1997 film Men in Black, undercover officer James Edwards is recruited into the highly secretive MIB organization, which was instituted to protect humanity from all manner…
Lessons Breaking Through to Story 31 May 202130 Dec 2021 Discouraged Efforts) Last week I talked about "inciting moments," where the protagonist commits to some cause, even though there is strong opposition to it. I mentioned that in my own…
Lessons Taking a Look Back: Part One 22 Feb 202126 Dec 2021 Here we are approaching the end of The Favored Son: Alternate. It's been a long road, and there's been a great deal learned along the way. I want to pause…
Lessons Missing Shots 18 Jan 202124 Dec 2021 The Original Plot) I mentioned at the end of my last post that I was dramatically altering the final act of The Favored Son. The original version of it just…
Give Me Pen and Paper 