It is always a matter of some surprise when I learn of an author, particularly one who writes SF, who refuses to embrace modern tools and technology. There are many of my colleagues who will disagree with my following assertions. That’s fine. I do, however, firmly believe if you’re going to operate in today’s business climate, you simply have to use the appropriate tools. And don’t for a moment think pursuing a career as a…
One of the most effective tools a writer has at her disposal is sharp, natural dialogue, conversation which flows as freely as the spoken word. All too often, a writer feels the necessity to describe either who is speaking, or how they speak, rather than allow the tension of the moment, and the character development up to that point, to work for them. Consider the following: Aunt Lily smiled and poured the tea. “What’s your…
It happens all too often when manuscripts come across my desk, the author operates in a safe and sterile zone, moving characters across a stage with a green screen backdrop. Put another way, there is a palpable lack of environmental detail. Are there curtains on that window by which the character is standing? Is the window open? Are there drapes? Are the drapes stirred by a breeze? Is that breeze cold or warm, damp or…
It has been said all the stories were written millennia ago, that no new stories exist. There is some truth to that assertion, in that the stories we tell always illuminate human ability, or lack thereof, to deal with situations, whether those situations are technological, environmental or societal in nature. From a writer’s perspective that can be a pretty depressing truth. Why, then, write when all the stories have been told? Why indeed. The answer…
What is it about a story of fiction that sweeps you away? Aside from other key elements, I’m pretty sure it’s a fully developed character who speaks to you from the page or screen. It’s that character’s voice that whispers to you in your sleep, who disturbs you at work, during your commute, who becomes so real sometimes you ache for conversation with that person, you cry if they die, or crow when they triumph….