For many years I wrote about fiction, story, belief, ordinary life, and the questions that shaped my work. More than two thousand essays remain here—not because every one represents my current thinking, but because together they tell the story of a writer learning over time.
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The archive begins with the most recent writing. Use the numbered pages below to move backward through time.
Beemgee/Character/Goal
Let’s beemgee. Beemgee is a company that offers a story development tool of the same name. Before we can write, we need to know a few things (preferably…
It’s time to determine our story’s first act break. But first, let’s summarize. We are using the three-act structure to develop our novel. Why? Because all stories have…
In my Sanity Snippets series we’ve been progressing through H.R. D’Costa’s steps in creating a story outline (based on her excellent book, Sizzling Story Outlines). If followed, these…
How’s your story idea coming? Here’s an exercise that is difficult, rewarding, and necessary if you want to create an engaging novel. It’s called the logline. Simply put,…
Let’s talk about carryalls. There are many types. The carryall bag comes to mind. Search Google and you’ll find dozens and dozens. Golf-carts and John Deere Gators are…
Quite a bold statement isn’t it? Yes. It’s meant to be. Frankly, it’s the type of statement that gives me pause. Why? It begs for opposing argument.This confession…
Let’s talk about hooks. What first comes to mind? Fishing, no doubt. And now you broadly know why your story needs a hook. Without one, you won’t catch…
In this post I digress to share a private experience that occurred this past week. It was Tuesday night around 9:00. The family and I had just watched…
Let’s think about genre. How do you pronounce it much less define it? Say it like this: “zhaan·ruh.” Say it five times. Define it like this (from Wordnet…
Richard L. Fricks 