I would like to share ten resources, more or less, that I think are really terrific when it comes to getting the science right. These will be biased toward my areas of expertise, and will span books, websites, and software. Old-fashioned books first.
Writing is a rewarding and fun gig, but finding the time to write can be a challenge. The only commodity an author has are her words, and the only way to produce that commodity is to get some quality butt-in-chair action. Contrary to urban legend, stories don’t write themselves or grow on Novel Trees. So how do you find the time to make the magic happen?
Surprise is one of the vital elements in story making precisely because it makes things unpredictable. It makes hope, fear, worry, and curiosity possible.
There’s nothing like writing during adolescence. The intensity, focus, and emotional strength that such a writer brings to her/his work is, like a map frozen in time, sharply delineated and can’t be captured except as a memory of once walking in those lands.
Key PROBLEM conditions for reader suspense o Part 1 – It’s all about the reader o Part 2 – The 3 Problem Types o Part 3 – It’s gotta be difficult o Part 4 – Uncertainty Key CHARACTER conditions for reader suspense o Part 5 – Character troubles o Part 6 – Character deservingness o […]
A week or so ago, I asked a bunch of writers to share some of the best advice they’ve received and how they’ve used it. At the same time I asked them to share some of the worst, the weirdest, or the least helpful advice they’ve encountered over the years.
People once learned from one another what was worth knowing and doing, and the best of these memes worked their way through the population like a unending game of telephone. It was only with the advent of mass communication technology like printing, radio, and TV that a select few became able to easily influence great numbers of people. But with social media those select few are now finding themselves increasingly drowned out.
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Many of the writers who contact me with Writer Beware-type questions seem to be convinced that the process of getting published is equivalent to a crap shoot. There are enormous numbers of people trying to …
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.
This old saw applies to writers as much as to musicians. In today’s guest blog post, author and writing teacher Barbara Baig explores the impo…
Self-promotion: a subject much on many writers’ minds. All across the Internet, new authors are urged to be proactive in publicizing themselves and their books–to build a “brand.” But what to do? And how much?
Silent movies meet cosmic terror. In 1920s Hollywood, Jeany Lin designs costumes and props for the “nightmare pictures” of famed director Sydney Fitzmaurice. Then Sydney takes his crew home to Arkham and the nightmares become real.
Julie C. Day is author of The Rampant (Lambda Award Finalist) & Uncommon Miracles. She’s also Editor-in-Chief of the anthology Weird Dream Society. Her stories can be found in publications such as Podcastle, The Dark, & the Cincinnati Review.
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