Ending your story is not necessarily easier than beginning your story, but the difficulties surrounding these two story moments are different. My previous post was Beginning: Where To Start Your Story, whose major lesson is: Start your story as close to the end as possible. Okay, where is the end?... read more
Archimedes said: Tell me where to stand and I’ll move the earth. The writer says: Tell me where to begin and I’ll tell …. Ahhh, that’s the problem. Where is the beginning of the great story you want to tell? Beginning: The Oldest Chestnut The oldest piece of writing advice in... read more
Romance conventions are the story lines, situations and characters that make a romance a romance. They are also sometimes called tropes or commonplaces. They are salient enough for Jenn Northington of Book Riot to make the Romance Bingo card in the title image. Any version of the hero’s journey – a... read more
This post is a companion piece to Interior Monologue and focuses on authentic dialogue, particularly as it pertains to the romance genre. Authentic Dialogue: Tip #1 Here’s a shocker: when writing a scene of dialogue there actually has to be dialogue. Sound absurd? Indeed, it does. But I can’t tell you... read more
In novels, like in movies, we get to know characters through their words and actions. In novels, as opposed to movies, we also get to know characters through what they think and how they feel. These thoughts and feelings come out through interior monologue. Access to characters’ interiors is one... read more
I just finished reading the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy by Kevin Kwan which consists of Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. As one of Kwan’s characters might describe it: Tons. Of. Fun. The trilogy is a smart, super sophisticated three-issue version of Us Weekly. First, you get pages... read more
Fiction Writing as a Way of Life was an event sponsored by the Blackburn Series at Duke University on Wednesday, November 7. It featured Maria Kuznetsova and Lucy Corin who are left and right, respectively, in the title image. I love the title of the event: Fiction Writing as a... read more
Main characters are the prime movers of your story. Their goals and motivations fuel the plot. Secondary characters are there to provide support for the main action, to generate a subplot, and/or to help develop thematic material. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are the main characters. The... read more
Halloween romances are a more vexed sub-genre than I would have thought. However, after reading a bunch this week, I now know they have two big problems to surmount. First, effective titles are restricted by a limited number of holiday-related words such as trick and treat – and if you... read more
Title image: Left: Karen Finley book cover of Shock Treatment (2015); Right: Image from the performance “Don’t Hang the Angel” (1985) Yesterday (Thursday, October 25) Karen Finley gave a heart-felt and eye-opening presentation at Duke University in the course “Performance Art: History and Theory” taught by Professor of Art and... read more
