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Friends and family of writers, beware
A fiction writer’s rap sheet can get quite extensive. Perhaps pride is our biggest flaw. The stories in our heads, well, not only do we think they are worth our time to tell, but also we think they...
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Choosing the perfect name for your baby (or villain)
Sorry, Team Edward. Looks like Jacob wins this round. The Social Security Administration recently released the top baby names for 2011, and Jacob took first place for most popular boy’s name for the...
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When it comes to writing, how much planning is too much?
I might be one of the few writers who look forward to editing a rough draft. I won’t deny there’s something invigorating about the first trip through a story. Even with the requisite chapter outline,...
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The tricky trek toward those two little words
In my experience, writing the end of a novel has to be the hardest part. (Or, at least, the second hardest part.) Sure, knowing where to start can be problematic. Do you go with the proverbial “day...
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Stories, songs make beautiful music together
While working on my third novel, I listened almost exclusively to The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack. Given the idiosyncratic nature of the album’s songs — not to mention the idiosyncratic nature of the...
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The two sides to every story
Ask a hundred different people for their definition of “good writing,” and you’ll get a thousand different answers. On a very basic level, the creation of a story can be divided into two parts: concept...
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What to do when writing tips contradict
The only constant when it comes to writing advice is inconsistency. There are times when I wish someone would come up with a template for writing a creative, impactful and commercially successful novel...
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How long does it take to write a book?
Answer: I have no idea—even after writing nine of them. Maybe some authors have a formula that produces consistent results, but for me, the question is too nuanced to allow for a simple solution....
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The secret beauty of bad ideas
Writers never kill their darlings. We just lock them away…in a dungeon…indefinitely… Even when we expunge plots points from the pages, old drafts linger long after their expiration date, haunting hard...
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A day of drama
One of the most exciting things a writer can do is push a character outside of his comfort zone. It turns out the same is true for writers themselves. I suppose I stepped away from the proverbial...
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Meet Annette Young of If Dreams Can Die
Some of my favorite villains are those who see themselves as heroes, and Annette Young falls wholeheartedly in that flock. I tend to create character profiles for my point-of-view characters because I...
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A paragraph evolves into a page
Step 4 of the Snowflake Method Welcome back to my mad experiment, where I attempt to create a novel using a ten-step approach to plotting, character development, and more. In case you missed the...
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Surviving a novel synopsis
Step 6 of the Snowflake Method In case you missed it: Step 0: Come up with an idea worth writing about Step 1: Write a one-sentence summary of your novel Step 2: Expand the single sentence into a full...
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Make sure your main characters cast a shadow
Step 7 of the Snowflake Method In case you missed it: Step 0: Come up with an idea worth writing about Step 1: Write a one-sentence summary of your novel Step 2: Expand the single sentence into a full...
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Roll up your sleeves and write that rough draft
It all comes down to this. After months of following a methodical approach to planning my novel, it’s finally time to put fingertips to keyboard and actually write The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot....
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The stories behind the stories
So many darlings. So many deaths. In all seriousness, I finally whittled down my stack of short stories to be included in my upcoming collection, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my...
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Storytelling comes full circle
Being an author isn’t all fun and games—but it sure has its moments. Last month I had the privilege of presenting in front of a few 7th- and 8th-grade classes at St. Mary’s Springs Academy. While...
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