‘Flash Fiction’, (sometimes referred to as a short-short story), doesn’t have a set definition, but is generally considered to be a piece of fiction consisting of a thousand words or less. Certain publications of this medium are even more conservative with the word count, hugging closer to the five-hundred word mark. The word count may...
Recently, I had the opportunity to put together a book trailer for my novel, “Like Melvin”. This turned out to be an extremely educational experience that opened my eyes to the value of this option for new authors. Here are the three reasons why authors need to create book trailers: Video is a Powerful Conveyor...
There is no TV show that quite makes use of fast moving, high level, intellectual bantering as “Frasier”. Perhaps one of the most successful spinoffs of all time, “Frasier” took a beloved character from an equally beloved tv show and built a small and lively world around him. If there is one area where “Frasier”...
When one writes on any sort of regular basis, it’s pretty easy to pick up certain habits. When it comes to putting together a novel however, some of those habits can drag your work to a grinding halt. One of the biggest problems with bad habits is that we don’t always realize we have them....
Many writers will tell you that the most difficult part about writing a story is the plot itself: what should you write? I have long believed that absolutely anything can be made into a compelling story. It all comes down to how you look at it: how can you turn a situation in such a...
Every fictional reality needs anchor points; symbols, objects, or landmarks to remind and reinforce to the audience the nature of the reality you are building in your story. This article acts as a follow-up to my previous worldbuilding post “The Five Levels of Reality”. If you haven’t already had a chance, you can read that...
Recently, I had a chance to see Christopher Nolan’s latest epic “Dunkirk”. As I was watching the film, it occurred to me that there was much to be learned concerning writing about historical events. Now before I go any further, I think I must point out that I will be mentioning key aspects of the...
Writer’s Block: This odious scourge has afflicted every writer since books were written. The agony of sitting in front of a blank page or empty computer screen is unparalleled. Fortunately, there is help. Here are my top 11 tips for beating back writer’s block: Put the Pen Down: To many writer’s, this almost feels like...
