Science-fiction writer
The main reason I disagree with people who claim every story fits the hero’s journey, is that it’s not the only character arc out there, and it really doesn’t fit every story. While I wasn’t sure why exactly my story doesn’t fit the description when I wrote the post on The Hero’s Journey – My Pros and Cons, my late yet intense [...]
I always thought I was a plotter, an outliner, a planner. Not a pantser. Not someone who discovers her story while she writes it, but someone who plans ahead and always knows which way the story goes. The premeditated kind. I thought this because I had a scene-by-scene outline of the entire novel as I wrote the [...]
The most important thing before attempting a revision, is figuring out what exactly we’re revising. So the top question to ask when we pick up any considerable chunk of text should be — is this a scene, or a sequel? The difference between the two isn’t always obvious. Scenes are often mixed with elements [...]
I’ve launched into the revision of my novel, so it’s time I showed you my weapons and merciless strategy. Over the coming few weeks, I’ll post on Mondays about manuscript analysis and revision tactics as I apply them to my own draft. I’ll try to keep them as factual and general as possible, but it’s [...]
Subplots are subordinate plots weaved into a story to enrich the reader’s experience. Not to increase wordcount, or stick some personal vendetta into an otherwise unsuspecting story, and for crying out loud pleeease not to shoot the reader point-blank between the eyes with An Important Point you itch to make. Subplots exist only to make [...]
Last week I attended an online writing class on story beginnings with the awesome Les Edgerton, organized by StoneHouse University, a very successful indie publisher and training center for writers created by Aaron Patterson and K.C. Neal. It was great fun and very instructive, full of straightforward tips, great examples, and interesting tales from Les’s considerable [...]
Every story is about a problem that needs to be solved, and the protagonist is the only one who can do it. That’s basically the definition of plot: the constant struggle of the character(s) to solve an intolerable problem and (re)establish order. But how do you make that problem increasingly difficult and complex enough to [...]
A novel is made of a meshwork of scenes, in such a way that every single one of them is absolultey indispensible. Scenes are the red blood cells in your story’s organism, they keep your story alive and bristling with energy (or taunting with mystery, or grinding with horror) and if you don’t make them [...]
Ah, the twist! That wonderful, insidious construction that turns the world upside down and makes it a thousandfold more compelling in a heartbeat! But what is a twist and how can I write one? The human brain thrives on the unexpected. Surprises keep our gears oiled, our imagination and inventivity working and enriche our lives. [...]
Have you ever woken up in the middle of a draft to find it had gone totally squirrel berries, but you had no idea how, where or why? I mean, it was so promising at first, but then something went wrong and… w’da hell happened?! You had everything—a good setting, awesome characters, a killer plot [...]
I'm fascinated with the dynamics of the human mind and the mechanics of the universe, so I twist both of them into a twine and make a pretty little bow. Around a plasma cannon!
