I was thinking about the classics: Dickens, the Brontës, and Austin vs the current writing guidelines that state one should start with the action and keep things rolling along, active or reactive. But these classic writers were outstanding providers of fine fiction, and they did not follow this advice. They practiced the immersion method. Wrap…
Ever walked through your house in the dark, nothing but shadows and memory to go on, and perhaps a dog? I did this last night, and though I know where everything lies, I also know that furniture shifts about through use, and occasional gnawed Nylabones will be just where I want to place a bare…
A couple of years ago, a fellow blogger and I discussed writing guest posts for each other. She writes in the combined fantasy/urban legend genre and hoped I could write a post about magic or how place contributes to a story. I decided to do it on how every story has rules, and how rules…
My last post was about brainstorming with my writer pal Marcy on a novel idea involving dementia and Alzheimer’s. Much of what is going into the book is based on my experience with my mother and my father-in-law who are both suffering from this kind of memory loss. Every phone call I have with them…
Partner and group brainstorming: I use this technique in my creative writing class. We gather around the table and discuss ideas. After we settle on one, I step back and write down each plot point or character decision as they work through them and build a consensus. Now and then I read through what they…
Since I am often inundated with numerous obligations I cannot put off because they are important aspects of my income-producing job, I need a few tricks to galvanize creativity. I have already written about several of them, but my most trusted approach to getting off the pot and onto the page is very simple. I…
What is the most important tool for me as a writer? That is easy: a keyboard. I mention this as I have noticed that over the years of owning various computers that the keyboard letters are fading more quickly with each new purchase as I upgrade. In essence, as I upgrade the computer, technology seems…
