In a recent critique I received of “Killing the Immortals,” a couple of people mentioned that they thought there was too much dialogue, particularly in the early going. It’s an interesting criticism that I hadn’t heard before. The first 2-1/2 chapters are pretty dialogue heavy, while the second half of the third chapter is completely devoid of dialogue at all. [Read more…] about Is Using Dialogue a Writing Crutch?
Writing
Tomorrow’s News Today … is Out Today
Yes, the rumors are true. I’ve got a second book out on the Amazon stage. It’s been a different journey on this one than with the first. I knew a bit more about the publishing game this time around. I knew a bit more about my own writing, and how to get this whole thing to work. I’m still trying different things, and I’m a long way from having any secret formula, but I’m hoping I’ll keep learning as I go.
This one’s called “Tomorrow’s News Today,” and it’s hugely influenced by the hours upon hours of Hitchcock and Twilight Zone I’ve spent watching over the past 30+ years. [Read more…] about Tomorrow’s News Today … is Out Today
Flipping Tropes on their Heads
Walking out of the movie “War Dogs” last weekend — It’s an entertaining film, for what it’s worth — I kept thinking about how tired I am of the “Concerned wife/girlfriend who exists only to nag her busy, adventurous husband about how dangerous his job is, and to cry about getting lied to” character tropes. You’ve all seen the movie/read the book.
He’s the protagonist. He does all kinds of interesting things, driving the action. She’s sitting at home, probably taking care of the kid. He lies “to protect her.” Eventually, she realizes it and walks about, typically taking the kid to her mom’s house. He begs and pleads. She considers changing her mind, but she leaves. [Read more…] about Flipping Tropes on their Heads
What’s the Hardest Part of Writing a Novel?
Not much of this whole “writing a book” thing is easy. That’s particularly true if you’re looking to get it published. And sell the damn thing. And even more so if nobody knows who the hell you are, except for your mom, and even she’s not sure all the time. Talk about a mountain to climb, from the first tiny, uncertain steps of just coming up with the kernel of an idea to outlining, storyboarding, deciding on a structure, figuring out who the characters are, writing the first chapter, driving through the parts you think suck, finally finishing a draft, then realizing your work has only barely begun. The hardest part is tough to nail down.
There are plenty of points at which your average person drops out of this particular climb. Lots of opportunities to say “Screw this” and turn on Netflix. I have no doubt that the vast majority of people who talk about writing a novel never start, just as the vast majority of people who start a novel never finish, and most of those who finish a novel don’t sell enough to even make up for their costs, much less make anything approaching a “living.” [Read more…] about What’s the Hardest Part of Writing a Novel?
Why Shouldn’t I Hire an Editor for My Novel?
To figure out why you should hire a professional editor for your novel, perhaps we should first look at why you shouldn’t do so. That because, well, it’s not at all cut and dried. Not everybody needs to put forth the effort, legwork and cold, hard cash to hire an editor for their novel. There are good reasons not to, and you might fit that profile. [Read more…] about Why Shouldn’t I Hire an Editor for My Novel?
Do Away with Pesky Villains
Recently, I was told that you can tell a lot about an author by the villains they write into their stories. Maybe it does say something about you if your villains are always certain archetypes. It might say something about your past, or what your fears are, or the way your twisted little mind works.
When I heard that, though, what I thought about was, as much as I like the bad guy to win, I don’t really like “bad guys” all that much in my stories. That is to say, “bad guys” and “villains” tend to bore me a bit. I prefer a bit more complexity. At the very least, I’d like my antagonist to have some sort of logical basis for what he’s doing. I’d like him or her to be a sympathetic figure in at least some way. I think I crave moral ambiguity in my stories; I like for it to be totally defensible to root for the antagonist to win. [Read more…] about Do Away with Pesky Villains