A bad taste November 3, 2009

I just finished reading a novel that has left a lingering foul taste. I want to cleanse my creative palate now.
I came to this novel with great anticipation, even eagerness. It’s a debut novel by a writer who will probably have much success. I’d read an enthusiastic review of the novel online and then found [...]

Really, who cares? October 29, 2009

In the very first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, Holmes confesses to Watson that he had no idea that the earth orbited the sun until Watson told him. As far as he knew, it was the other way around. Even though this seems contradictory to the omnivore of knowledge that the Sherlock Holmes [...]

Not on my schedule, but fine anyway October 27, 2009

I’ve spoken here before about how I don’t understand the murky operations of my creative self, and I’m happy not understanding. Great ideas pop into my head when I least expect them (though they seem to come most often when I’m mowing the lawn). I fear that if I knew what the process was, if [...]

Cliffhanging October 26, 2009

I’m reading a novel now in which a person is about to be caught doing something wrong. The chapter ended with the discovery imminent. I’m eager to get back to the book to find out what happens.
The cliffhanger ending of a chapter is a long-standing, much respected tradition in writing. In some genres it is [...]

Characterless story October 20, 2009

Can there be such a thing as a characterless story?
I read a piece in a “best stories” anthology once mentioning an old hermit who died — he was only mentioned casually, as I recall, and really no more than a MacGuffin — and the story was about his semi-rural property being reclaimed by nature because [...]

Writer’s block October 13, 2009

I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced writer’s block (and I hope I never do), but I don’t know the exact definition of the term, so maybe I am plagued with it and just keep writing because I don’t know any better. This Wikipedia article seems to do a good job of defining and describing [...]

This guy obviously never took a writing class! October 12, 2009

In the course of only a few pages in the novel I am currently reading, I found the following “sins” that beginning writers are cautioned to avoid:
“All right,” I said sharply. – Use of adverb!
“Calm down,” he replied. – Use of a word other than “said” to tag dialogue!
“Sidney,” he said furiously. – That adverb [...]

Close reading October 5, 2009

I’ve given names to my characters in The Sleep of Reason with careful consideration. Their names have reference to historical or mythical characters or themes or otherwise somehow help to illuminate their role in the story. (Okay not all of my characters. But the ones I could spot a reference for I gave such names [...]

Mirror and mire October 4, 2009

“Ah, Sir, a novel is a mirror carried along a high road. At one moment it reflects to your vision the azure skies, at another the mire of the puddles at your feet. And the man who carries this mirror in his pack will be accused by you of being immoral! The mirror shows the [...]

Google Documents, revisited September 10, 2009

You may remember me saying (way back here and here) that I’ve been experimenting with using Google Documents as a backup site for the writing I’m doing. In addition, I wanted to try writing several short stories from start to submission exclusively in Google Docs. It is a writing experiment of a sort.
Here’s what I [...]