Dec 28 Red Flags of Writing . . . or How Not to be a Failed Writer1. Not reading and writing every single day: Do you want to know the ‘secret formula’ to becoming a good writer? Read and write for hours every single day for years. That’s it. There’s no magic pill to swallow or special product to buy. It just requires two things most…Creative Writing9 min readCreative Writing9 min read
Nov 4The Motivation-Reaction Unit . . . or How to apply Sequential Behavior to your Characters“Brr! It’s getting cold.” Jeff shivered involuntarily. A chilling wind blew in through the open window. He hugged himself. What’s wrong with this little piece of writing? It’s all out of order, that’s what! Because it doesn’t follow the natural process of normal human reaction that is cause and effect. …Writing Tips5 min readWriting Tips5 min read
Oct 7Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate Voice . . . or How to Write with Style!Anglo-Saxon words derive from the languages spoken by Germanic settlers arriving in England from the fifth century. Latinate words derive from the British Isles’ interactions with the Roman Empire and later medieval France. Modern English is a mercurial mix of the two, breaking down to 60% Latinate and 25% Anglo-Saxon…Writing Tips5 min readWriting Tips5 min read
Sep 2These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty . . . or the Easy Peasy Half-Hour Comedy Sitcom Plot FormulaEver wanted to write a half-hour comedy sitcom? Or just curious as to how their episodes are plotted out? Then let’s take a look at the easy peasy half-hour comedy sitcom plot formula, derived from pretty much every successful comedy sitcom ever. The formula consists of five parts: 1. the…Creative Writing5 min readCreative Writing5 min read
Aug 5One Simple Question . . . or How to Plot your Novel in SecondsOne Simple Question . . . or How to Plot your Novel in Seconds I’ll keep this short and sweet to stay in line with the theme of this post. How to plot your novel in seconds depends on the Yes or No answer to the following question you should…Writing Tips2 min readWriting Tips2 min read
Jul 1The Easy Peasy Conflict Formula . . . or why Good + Bad x Worse = Great fiction!I usually hate metaphors (especially when it comes to writing ‘advice’), but this one does possess a spot of magical wisdom as it pertains to creating great fiction: force your protagonist up a tree . . . then throw rocks at them until they fall. When it comes to story…Writing Tips5 min readWriting Tips5 min read
Jun 3Traditional vs. Self-Publishing . . . or How to Price your Ebooks and Paperbacks Part TwoThis advice is for the average fiction author self-publishing through Amazon KDP; nonfiction buyers are less price-sensitive because of the content involved and what they might learn from it. I needed to update book prices on my website because of Amazon KDP’s new paperback price hike policy (**see below) and…Writing9 min readWriting9 min read
May 6Magic Oracle Die . . . or the Fun Chaos Factor of Pantsing!If you haven’t noticed by now from reading some of my previous articles, I love employing dice into the creative process; probably because I’ve always been a tabletop gamer at heart (Dungeons & Dragons is stating the glaring obvious, I grew up playing beloved HeroQuest that will always hold a…Writing Tips5 min readWriting Tips5 min read
Apr 1Protagonist Potential . . . or Why the Dominant Character Flaw is so damn ImportantI’ve kept this lesson as concise as possible because I’m about to reveal the single most important piece of advice you will ever learn as a fiction writer regardless your genre, and often point, purpose and meaning become lost amid overcomplicated explanations which can lead to frustrating confusion. Here is…Writing Tips3 min readWriting Tips3 min read
Mar 4The Only Trouble Is . . . or Finding Your Story’s Big QuestionEvery story needs to present then eventually answer one main question above all others. You present it with the Inciting Incident during Act 1 (intriguing the reader’s interest), then you answer it during Act 3’s Climax (satisfying the reader’s lust for knowing), while throughout Act 2 you keep us guessing…Writing Tips7 min readWriting Tips7 min read
