Finding Themes in Fiction
I’ve had the opportunity to really think about the characters I’ve worked with the past 12 months. I’m always interested in the themes that come out in a writer’s work, my own included. Writing is, at least for me, a form of therapy after all.
I was able to identify several common themes in the lives [...]
The Irony of Fictional Characters
Have you experienced the same irony of characters that I have? When you want one, or at least want the one you’ve got to be…well, more than they are…it seems characters can be hard to find. On the other hand, if you’re writing hard or working on another project or even just trying to sleep, [...]
Bad Writer. BAD
I’ve learned a few things in the time I’ve been writing with intention. One of those things is to write every day no matter what. This is especially important to me in the middle of anything longer than a short story.
I didn’t write for three days. Of course it was harder to get back into [...]
Different Novel, Different Process?
I wrote my first novel, long long ago, in a fifty page treatment. Then I slogged through a draft.
I wrote my second novel by the seat of my pants and it wasn’t bad.
I wrote my third novel via outline and found out I lost all impetus to complete it.
My fourth novel came flying out, seat [...]
Learning as We Go
I’ve had a quote on my computer for a couple of years that made sense to me. Or I thought it did. Only recently have I considered how superficial that understanding was. I don’t think any writer can really wrap their mind around this quote until the third or fourth big project. I certainly didn’t. [...]
