storytelling and all that goes with it
A lot of writers have a lot of advice. And most of it is good. But not all of it is relevant every time. I completed a first draft in record time last year using an outline and it was glorious. Not only was it completed fast, and without any serious plot holes, but clean... Continue Reading →
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I am sharing some of my Irish writing roots. William Allingham, born in Ballyshannon was an Irish poet and editor, who rubbed elbows with some of the famous British writers of his day. You can’t knock a guy who writes poems about fairies.
Little Cowboy, what have you heard,
Up on the lonely rath’s green mound? 
Only the plaintive yellow bird
Sighing in sultry fields around,
Chary, chary, chary, chee-ee! –
Only the grasshopper and the bee? –
‘Tip-tap, rip-rap,
Tick-a-tack-too!
Scarlet leather, sewn together,
This will make a shoe.
Left, right, pull it tight;
Summer days are warm;
Underground in winter,
Laughing at the storm! ‘
Lay your ear close to the hill.
Do you not catch th etiny clamour,
Busy click of an elfin hammer.
Voice of the Lepracaun singing shrill
As he merrily plies his trade?
He’s a span
And a…
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I recently read a great short story with a great premise and a great character and when I was done, I just wasn't satisfied at all. Because, while the conflict was there, and it was pretty rough, things kinda just worked out for the character. She never had to take a hard stance. She never... Continue Reading →
The climate has changed a lot since I posted this last year. I hope next year sees some remarkable breakthrough in women’s rights and more tolerance and understanding in the world.
The concept of a strong female character might seem like a new thing, but if you look through out the history of writing, you will see that it is not. Strong women have graced the pages (and stone tablets) of literature since the dawn of the written word. Strong women are not a novelty. Don’t believe me? Here’s my list.
1.Jane Eyre
You knew this was coming right? Jane is humble, quiet and, at times, very unsure of herself, but her strength of character is unyielding. She stands up to the headmaster at her school. She refuses to be a mistress to Mr. Rochester and refuses to marry Mr. St. John, despite her affection for him and his family, because she doesn’t love him. She is willing to live penniless as long as it is on her own terms.
2. Rhiannon
In early Welsh mythology, the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is a…
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I've often heard it said that the first couple novels a writer writes are throw aways. They're learning experiences, written almost entirely to build up the chops of finishing a damned novel. Now, I know this is isn't the case for everyone. A lot of writers can churn out a first novel and have it... Continue Reading →
