TweetI never appreciated ‘positive heroes’ in literature. They are almost always cliches, copies of copies, until the model is exhausted. I prefer perplexity, doubt, uncertainty, not just because it provides a more ‘productive’ literary raw material, but because that is the way we humans really are. Jose Saramago, Wikipedia Jose Saramago-Portugal’s Voice of Conscience
TweetAh, Sally Mae! She cracks me up every time I sit down to write her. Her voice is really loud and a lot of fun. After her tussle with the whole tiara and goat thing, Sally Mae goes on to even more trouble. I’m sure that’s not a surprise to anyone. Heh. Look for “You …
Continue reading ‘Excerpt of “You Ain’t The Boss Of Me”-A Sally Mae Riddley Adventure’ »
TweetThis piece is very special to me, and so is this day. Today is my kid’s birthday, and a glorious day it was. I won’t bore you with the labor and delivery details; as a friend pointed out to me recently, “Labor stories are women’s versions of the walking to school stories old men tell. …
TweetThis week, instead of a guest post, I thought I’d share a project in which I participated some years ago. The website is now defunct, unfortunately, but it was a really cool idea. People were invited to submit stories which they related to a certain song. The website was Jams Bio, and while you read …
TweetIt’s no secret to anyone who knows me knows I am a Stephen King fan. While there are some of his books I don’t care for, the truth is the man can grab you by the nether regions and take you on a journey whether you want to go or not. He is the epitome …
TweetLast week we talked about story structure—the basic framework on which to hang the flesh and blood of your story. Keep in mind this is just the basic structure. There’s a circular structure, the Hero’s Journey, etc. but at the core, it all boils down to these five elements. I could go on and on …
TweetWhen I first started writing flash fiction, I was lucky enough to fall into a workshop of writers who were amazing people. They had a profound influence on my writing, and without them I’m not sure where I’d be right now in my writing career. Workshops are tricky things–they can make or break you as …
Continue reading ‘Inspiration For Mondays-Josip Novakovich’ »
TweetIn the beginning, I advised you start the editing process by throwing your masterpiece into a drawer or a closet for at least a couple of weeks before you begin digging in. This is to not only give your brain a much-needed rest, but to also give you distance so you can look at the …
TweetTristan J. Tarwater has one of the coolest names ever. But even that doesn’t encompass the coolness of the Tarwater. She is one of the champions of indie efforts in just about every aspect of creative endeavors you can think of, including but not limited to writing, comics, gaming, perfume, jewelry–there are few who are …
