I have not been keeping up with this blog as well as I should have. Sometime in the past couple neglected months, I passed two hundred followers. Knowing that I am not the most active blogger (understatement of the year), that seems like a decent achievement. In the process of building this site, I've also … Continue reading A Few of My Favorite Blogs
Tag: creative writing
No Trace of the Offense – 3LineTales Week 81
(Photo by Cathal Mac) They gathered for dinner--drinking red wine from crystal glasses--and, his tongue loosened by the drink, Piero spoke his mind. His host showed no sign of concern, only asking for the pizza oven to be lit for the second course. Come morning, even Piero's ashes had be swept away. *Written as … Continue reading No Trace of the Offense – 3LineTales Week 81
Not Every Character Needs an Origin Story
I just finished watching "Bangarang: The Hook Prequel", which is supposed to be the origin story for the beloved character Rufio from the film Hook. In the original film, Rufio had become the leader of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan's absence, and it was to Rufio that Peter was forced to prove himself in order … Continue reading Not Every Character Needs an Origin Story
Writing Lessons Learned – Don’t Kick the Habit
I've learned a lot about writing in the past several months. I'm the kind of person that learns things best by doing rather than being taught or told how something is. I've been doing this thing seriously for less than a year, but I've already picked up a lot of useful skills and ideas about … Continue reading Writing Lessons Learned – Don’t Kick the Habit
My Story is now out in the Bards and Sages Quarterly!
I'm happy to report the July issue of the Bards and Sages Quarterly is out now at multiple retailers. This issue features my Iric flash story "The Tree Sign." I've been looking over my digital copy and am very satisfied with how the whole thing came out. It's a decent-sized book--Smashwords says it's almost 57,000 … Continue reading My Story is now out in the Bards and Sages Quarterly!
Writing Updates
I've been pretty bad at updating this blog during the past few weeks. I've been on military orders and my work with the Army had been a lot more intense and rigorous than I expected. Add to that the deep academic nature of much of what I do, which tends to leave my brain melted … Continue reading Writing Updates
SHARE: DSF – Story Time by Laura Anne Gilman
This is a nice little story with great narrative voice...despite having almost no narration. The dialogue exchange really delivers that childish curiosity. And the revelation at the end is heartbreaking. That being said, the work is not without its problems. I question the choice of the word "youngling." Why not simply use "child"? In this … Continue reading SHARE: DSF – Story Time by Laura Anne Gilman
Are Most Writing Competitions Just Money Grabs?
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I am away from home on temporary duty and didn't have a workable internet connection. I finally just changed my cellular plan to unlimited data and am now using my phone as a wifi hotspot. Here's a post on a topic that has been bothering me as of … Continue reading Are Most Writing Competitions Just Money Grabs?
The Wonderful Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
One of my favorite cartoons when I was young was the 1974 Chuck Jones animated version of "Rikki Tikki Tavi," narrated by Orson Wells. The classic video can now be accessed in a public archive HERE. This might seem a bit odd, since I was born exactly a decade after this production was released and … Continue reading The Wonderful Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
SHARE: 5 Things Being a Journalist Taught Me About Writing Fiction
People come into writing from different places, and every author's unique experience reveals something about the writing process. Martinez offers several good tips here, but numbers three and four really stand out for me. Good dialogue can help keep a story interesting. You can maintain momentum by delivering background and exposition in dialogue, rather than … Continue reading SHARE: 5 Things Being a Journalist Taught Me About Writing Fiction
JM Williams 