Several writer resources October 6, 2009

Regular readers of this humble blog (both of you) know that I am an advocate of the online writer’s resource Duotrope’s Digest. It is an aggregation of more than two thousand publications that accept submissions of poetry, short stories, novels, and other writing. The publications are organized in several ways: by genre, interest, length sought, [...]

The Final Solution: A Story of Detection September 14, 2009

“It was midsummer, and there was something about the black hair and pale face of the boy against the green unfurling flag of the downs beyond, the rolling white eye of the daisy, the knobby knees in their short pants, the self important air of the handsome gray parrot with its savage red tail feather, [...]

On Fiction July 29, 2009

I’ve been making some interesting explorations in the blog On Fiction, which is comprised of a group of scholars working to develop a psychology of fiction. Their blog is a thoughtful, educated attempt at understanding how fiction works from the perspective of both the writer and the reader. (I like to think of it as [...]

Ron Carlson Writes a Story July 10, 2009

In my brief career as a book editor, one of our key titles at the time was a diet book. When I was doing background research on the subject, I learned that each of the hundreds of diet plans works for only about five percent of the people who attempt to follow it. The trick, [...]

12 Short Stories and Their Making May 7, 2009

I’ll confess at the start of this post that I don’t have a high respect for most how-to writing guides. I’m not sure that fiction writing can be taught. Having said that, though, I do think it can be learned. In my experience this is done in two ways: extensive reading and exhaustive writing. We’re [...]

The Art Thief April 19, 2009

I recently had the opportunity to listen to an unabridged audio recording of The Art Thief, a novel written by Noah Charney. I was delighted with the tale, a mystery without a murder involving the high intrigue of the vast subculture of fine art theft. In the world of crime, this is considered the most [...]

The Fall April 4, 2009

The Fall is a film, not a novel, but I think it is an important film for anyone who writes fiction that tells a story. The basic plot involves two individuals in the hospital from falls they have taken. One is a movie stuntman, who had fallen from a train bridge; the other is a [...]

Night Train to Lisbon March 23, 2009

Can there be anything more absurd than this:
to be moved by a wish that has no conceivable object?
Amadeu de Prado
The Goldsmith of Words
I confess to picking up this novel because its title is similar to a short story of mine. I’ve certainly read books for less reason than that, but I’m glad of this bit [...]

Death of a Cozy Writer February 21, 2009

I’d read in a number of places high praise and recommendation for G.M. Malliet’s novel Death of a Cozy Writer. Last year I had read the similarly titled and plotted Death of a Mystery Writer, so I was eager to give Malliet’s story a go.
This novel is rich with characters and humor; in fact many [...]

The Sea February 13, 2009

“The past beats inside me like a second heart.”
Max Morden, protagonist and narrator of The Sea
I recently finished reading the novel The Sea by Booker Prize-winner John Banville. I’d seen it praised on several blogs, and since I’m always looking for a new writer to delight me, I gave it a try. I’m glad I [...]