Michael Dirda writes in an essay for the Chronicle Review titled James Bond as Archetype (and Incredibly Cool Dude) that he wants to be “Bond. James Bond.” What guy doesn’t? He’s suave and sophisticated; and he gets to blow stuff up. Dirda writes, “007 calls to mind a more sophisticated version of that favorite adventure-movieContinue reading “The Very Model of a British Gentleman”
Tag Archives: Writing
Elizabeth Lyon on Style and Voice
A few months back Elizabeth Lyon gave a talk about Style and Voice from her book Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford To Ignore. She says that she put style first in her book because style (words used to create a desired effect to fit genre and character),voice (“…the author’s natural useContinue reading “Elizabeth Lyon on Style and Voice”
Eric Witchey-Five Minutes on Fiction
Eric Witchey, Five Minutes on Fiction In the video (part of Willamette Writers’ Five Minutes on Fiction) he talks about a common problem aspiring writers have and how to overcome the obstacle. He gives some good solid advice and it’s worth your time if you want to improve your writing. Eric Witchey has published scienceContinue reading “Eric Witchey-Five Minutes on Fiction”
What is Plot?
Literary agent Nathan Bransford has an excellent post on what constitutes plot.
2007 Bulwer-Lytton Contest Winners
The Department of English & Comparative Literature at the California State University of San Jose State University has announced the 2007 winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest The winner of 2007 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Jim Gleeson, a 47-year-old media technician from Madison, Wisconsin. According to the English Dept’s website, Gleeson is working on aContinue reading “2007 Bulwer-Lytton Contest Winners”
Pitch It
Lexi asked me to say more about the “Pitch.” For those of you who don’t know, a “pitch” is a soccer (or for Lexi, a football) field. It is 90-120 meters by…. It is also what an ale brewer does with the wort…. A “pitch” is the selling of a writer and his (or her)Continue reading “Pitch It”
How hard could it be?
How tough can it be to write a few pages? Easy peasy. In fact, I’ve already written it once: Chapter 8 of Timber beast. Two words describe it: preachy surplusage. Elmore Leonard says “[t]ry to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.” So, as I turn Timber Beast into The God of Trees,Continue reading “How hard could it be?”
Somewhat Self-Indulgent
One of last month’s reviews on YouWriteOn.com accused my story of being a “somewhat self-indulgent piece…” I let a month go by to see if this review still rankled. It does. My feelings have festered. It seems that it’s time that I lanced this sucker and cleaned out the wound. As I understand “somewhat self-indulgent”Continue reading “Somewhat Self-Indulgent”
Writing about forestry II
We just got back from San Luis Obispo. I spoke at the student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) there. It may seem odd to drive my high-performance Swedish driving machine (with 180K on the odometer) fourteen hours, seven minutes, 800 miles (roundtrip), and spend $118.66 for gas (plus $ for food andContinue reading “Writing about forestry II”
Writing about forestry
On Wednesday, Mary, Peaches, and I will be zipping down to Cambria on the coast. It will be about six hours away. We have reservations for the Cambria Shores Inn, one of many inns in town that is pet-friendly. According to the front desk, they “not only allow dogs, they love them.” What’s not toContinue reading “Writing about forestry”
Nullius in Verba 