I was trying to decide what made the hero in The Monster Men feel different from most other fictional heroes I’d encountered recently and I realized that it was a quality of masterfulness. Without spoiling too much, Number 13 is not only able to engage small armies of pirates in pursuit of his heart’s idol, … Continue reading Masterful Heroes
On Writing
Actions Make Words Speak Louder
One mistake that a lot of writers make is to over-explain things (hey, that's me!); to put everything you want the audience to understand into dialogue so as to ensure that they ‘get it’. To be fair, this isn’t (usually) a huge deal; just clumsy and amateurish. But it’s more elegant and often much more … Continue reading Actions Make Words Speak Louder
Friday Flotsam: Fable World Building, ‘Safety Last’, and Reading
1. A week of little progress and a lot of crashing. As often happens when one loosens the reins after Lent, Brother Ass takes off and goes wild. But on the positive side, he’s gotten a taste of discipline and so bringing him under rein again should be a bit easier than it was in … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Fable World Building, ‘Safety Last’, and Reading
Thought of the Day: Stranger than Fiction
Yesterday at work I learned about a mortgage company called ‘Buy or Refi Financial’ (which is rather like having a store called 'Get Food Grocery'), located in ‘Surprise, AZ.’ Yes, they’re a real company. Doing quite well, as a matter of fact; nearly a full 5-star rating on Google. I can only imagine that they … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Stranger than Fiction
The Wolf and the Raven
Interesting little video on the relationship between wolves and ravens, which scientists apparently still don't really understand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtq1j9yz7w&ab_channel=ProjectDarkWolf Classic animal motifs and pairings can be a powerful storytelling tool, if you know how to use them right. Wolves and ravens, for instance, match the archetypes of the strong, straightforward warrior or hunter and the quick-witted, … Continue reading The Wolf and the Raven
Villain Knights and Going Medieval
I found this video on the subject of 'villain knights': Spanish peasants who were elevated to a lower knighthood during the Reconquista, essentially functioning as light cavalry on the frontier during the long reconquest of Spain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7cqIOW48Q I recommend watching the video, but the short version is that while the Spanish conquered new territories from … Continue reading Villain Knights and Going Medieval
Scene Dissection: ‘Jaws’ on Dialogue Serving Multiple Purposes
Like the contents of a bug-out-bag, every detail of your story should serve a purpose, and preferably more than one. This doesn’t just apply to plot points, but ideally to the individual elements and dialogue that go to make up a scene. For instance take the introductory exchange of dialogue from the Brodys in Jaws … Continue reading Scene Dissection: ‘Jaws’ on Dialogue Serving Multiple Purposes
Tips On Formatting Your E-Book and Paperback for Amazon
I haven't self-published anything in a long time, and prepping Wisdom of Walt Disney for paperback and re-publication has required me to learn or relearn a lot of things. Though the experience still hasn’t been nearly the nightmare it was the first time I tried it. To make it easier on any of my fellow … Continue reading Tips On Formatting Your E-Book and Paperback for Amazon
On Bad Analogies
There was an article in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks back about original novel of Bambi, by Felix Salten. The gist of the article was regarding how different the book was from the film, and in particular how the book had a strong theme of the experience of minority groups (Salten was an … Continue reading On Bad Analogies
Flotsam: A Hodgepodge Ending in Lovecraft
1. I try to hunt up simple, straightforward points where ideas make contact with reality in order to judge their truth or falseness. Preferably reality I can see for myself, or which is at least clear and concrete enough to be resistant to rhetoric. For instance, a question that occurred to me this week: has … Continue reading Flotsam: A Hodgepodge Ending in Lovecraft
Serpent's Den 