There are many ways to come up with a story idea. Some of the best stories start with the simple question of what if? The what if can be reasonable, i.e., what if a boy meets a girl and they fall in love and then break up? Or the what if can be outlandish, i.e. …
Category: Writers
Feb 24
Food for Thought: On Being Read and Reread
Every once in a while, I go to a website where I can listen to people tell stories about their lives. The tales are entertaining and inspirational and represent, to me, the ancient tradition of oral storytelling that is all but gone today. Sure, grandma and grandpa may share memories with their grandchildren, but the …
Feb 23
What makes a story suspenseful?
Reality makes fiction writing suspenseful. That may sound like an oxymoron, but fiction also includes science fiction and fantasy, both of which skirt reality, and in so doing also skirt suspense. For example, ever met Superman? Me neither. His character is suspenseful though, and great fun to read or watch. But I know it is …
Feb 18
The Writer’s Life
I have been a writer since age 5, but it has taken years for others to realize that. I was always a writer, or, more directly, I was always writing. The act of writing does make one a writer, but the subtleties of that are profound. Writing is an activity that kids do as a …
Feb 14
Bad Boys–Watcha Gonna Do
What is it about bad boys? Those loveable scamps who are utterly irredeemable but still attract us because their badness is so much more interesting than the good guy’s goodness. You can count on the hero to do the right thing because he’s the hero. You can count on the bad boy to be bad. …