I usually don't comment on my own work, but this piece bears commenting. I really don't know what to think of it (read: gimme feedback!). I have not changed the text much from the original copy besides some basic editing and paragraphing (I didn't really know how to paragraph dialogue back then, but heck I … Continue reading The Oath – A Short Story
Tag: creative writing
Unsated Instincts – Sunday Photo Fiction (01JAN2016)
Walls were usually there to keep people out, not in. The balcony door was sealed shut; Adalie couldn’t even step outside to feel the rain. Hugo, the shady butler, guarded the gates of the mansion, blocking her escape. It had been like this for more than a year. Adalie thought things would be different as a … Continue reading Unsated Instincts – Sunday Photo Fiction (01JAN2016)
When a First-Person Narrator’s Voice Just Doesn’t Jive
I've said it many times here, but it bears repeating: if you do not have a specific reason to write in first-person, don't. It seems the default impulse of many writers is to just write first-person no matter what. That is what's hip today, right? The problem is that publishers seem apt to take bad … Continue reading When a First-Person Narrator’s Voice Just Doesn’t Jive
To Cliche or not to Cliche – WriteWorks
I have read many posts on the blogs of writers that are adamantly against certain aspects or styles of writing. At times it often becomes a sort of pseudo-religious fundamentalism. None of us are fully innocent. Even Stephen King, in his lauded writing manual On Writing, goes on an unreasonable diatribe against the passive voice, essentially … Continue reading To Cliche or not to Cliche – WriteWorks
Considering the Reader – WriteWorks
WriteWorks is a relatively young editing company managed, in part, by a guy named James Hallman. He's the guy doing the editing for my current book. His assistance has been indispensable, though his detailed comments have left me with a lot more revision work than I expected! The WriteWorks blog has a lot of good … Continue reading Considering the Reader – WriteWorks
Three Little-Known Reasons Ennui Is Perfect For Setting Up Emotional Satiety In Fiction
This post has got me thinking. I have a couple ideas on what Victor has to say here. First, it really depends on what you're writing. Novels do really benefit from the sort of settling-in that he describes. But short stories, and especially flash stories, do not have the benefit of lazy starts. Short stories … Continue reading Three Little-Known Reasons Ennui Is Perfect For Setting Up Emotional Satiety In Fiction
Career Change – A Short Story
Ulfar watched the smoke billow up from the smoldering corpse of the pillaged hamlet. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and death. But the joy of it all was lost. When he was young, Ulfar had loved to watched the fire dance across the thatched roofs, to hear the final chorus … Continue reading Career Change – A Short Story
Wonder Lost- Three Line Tales, Week 48
Sophia didn't know why her daddy wasn't there; he always joined the family at the cabin for the Fourth. Several weeks ago he left Sophia and her mom, boarding a plane with many other people, all dressed in green. The fireworks lost their wonder without him; Sophia dropped the sparkler into the water and watched … Continue reading Wonder Lost- Three Line Tales, Week 48
What’s Your Crisis? – The Essential Component of a Short Story
The recipe for a short story is so simple, yet it is one of the hardest things to craft well. There are only two essential ingredients for a story, a well-developed character and a crisis. Within the word limit of your tale, you must make us understand your character, give him or her an issue … Continue reading What’s Your Crisis? – The Essential Component of a Short Story
The Insecurities of Authors Using Real-World Settings
Happy Holidays to all! Being in the Far East, Christmas has already fully passed for me. So it's time to get back to work. I am currently working my way through Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It is a fun little story, but the writing irks me in places. I have never done a Gaiman book before, so … Continue reading The Insecurities of Authors Using Real-World Settings
JM Williams 