This is an old Robert Heinlein novel I haven’t seen in ages (and didn’t remember much of what I saw back then, to be honest) so I’m revisiting it. I have to say it’s not one of Heinlein’s best stories – there’s a lot of discussion about his favorite topics (sex & the place of…
Dialogue is a multi-tool for writers. You can advance the plot, hint at setting, give backstory, & describe the characters all in a line or two. Here are a few dialogue tips you can use:
I recently came across a compilation of various “Rules for Writing” from 45 different authors. Neil Gaiman’s Rules of Writing: Michael Moorcock’s 10 Tips for Good Storytelling: Michael Morpurgo’s 10 Rules for Writers:
It’s First Wednesday, so time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. May 3 question – When you are working on a story, what inspires you? When I’m working on a story, many things can inspire me. As a science-fiction author, I’m more likely to be inspired by a science article or news byte I’ve seen,…
I’m not quite finished with the novel yet, but I can already say I will be reading more from Andy Weir. Project: Hail Mary explores the mind of a science nerd in a way I’ve not read since I was a child. I love how both characters in the book are so excited by simple…
Just started a new science fiction novel by Andy Weir – Project: Hail Mary. A man wakes up without his memory in a windowless hospital-like room with 2 other beds, both of whom hold long-dead corpses. He eventually realizes he is in a spaceship hurtling away from Earth, but can he solve the extinction-level disaster…
A friend recommended this book to me. The author is Matt Haig and I would classify it as almost science-fiction or fantasy. We start our story with a miserable heroine who has failed at almost literally everything she has attempted. At the beginning of the book, she loses her dead-end job at a not-very-thriving music…
It’s First Wednesday so time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post! Here’s what we’re thinking about in the month of April: April 5 question – Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you?…
I recently discovered that the Japanese have turned one of my favorite Robert Heinlein stories into a movie. The Door Into Summer, if you haven’t read it, is a classic hard-scifi story with robots, time travel, cold sleep, romance, betrayal… and a cat. The hero, Daniel Boone Davis (in the movie he’s Soichiro Takakura), is…
I hear this question a lot. How long is a chapter supposed to be anyway? Of course, the correct answer is usually “As long as it needs to be” — within reason. There’s actually a rationale behind keeping your chapters shorter, and it has to do with your readers and their attention spans. In days…