Category plotting
The Dark Side of Writing – The Synopsis
There is a great evil among us. This force of darkness fell upon the Earth long ago, the exact origin is shrouded in legends of mystery and fear. It seeks out the weak and the vulnerable, waiting for the moment to strike down its prey with a crushing blow. The victim often survives, but is […]
Do You Suffer From Revision Brain Syndrome?
Revision Brain Syndrome (RBS) RBS is destined to be added to the list of serious psychological maladies in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition (DSM V) as a condition plaguing millions of writers. (cue Sarah McLachlan sad puppy music here) Self-diagnosis is difficult and I’ll warn you now to stay […]
What Is The Honey Badger Telling Me?
Honey Badger Don’t Plot So, I’m sitting at my keyboard drafting the last few chapters of a novel and I know where the story goes. I know how the plot lines come together, how the characters change and I’m just about ready to wrap this one up. I’m at this point because I’ve outlined, planned and […]
Writers and Serial Killers
Writers and Serial Killers have more in common than you think. I binge watched (yes, I should have been writing – consider me scolded) the first season of Hannibal this week, something that I’d put off for a while. The Thomas Harris novels, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal were gripping and the movie […]
All The Voices in My Head
The voices are telling me to do things… From time to time, I’ve mentioned the voices that spawn from the murky creative mist to bestow their wisdom upon me. Whether I need this paranormal assistance isn’t really the question. I’ll take any inspiration a Muse wants to toss my way. The voices come through when […]
Mystery Writer’s Blog Hop
There’s a new blog in town and it belongs to Cindy Brown. I met Cindy at a mystery writer’s conference, where we swapped book pitches over lunch. Cindy’s story is so unique and fresh, I’m willing to say right here and now, that MacDeath, is going to be great. So, look for her novel’s release […]
A Voice on Editing and Ego
Editing a manuscript is one thing you cannot shortcut. The process is direct, personal and, if you’re not ready for it, editing will rip the flesh from your bones, leaving you and your story a quivering mass of gelatin. Like most things in life, I’ve learned this the hard way. You’ve finished a draft of your […]
A Voice on Finishing What You’ve Started
Have you ever had that moment? That moment when you finish your novel and a dark creeping dread taps you on the shoulder? And all the joy evaporates… I have. Almost every single time. The drafting and writing is done. This should be a happy time – this should be a happy dance time. But, no. […]
Running on Empty
One of the most miserable sensations known to man comes at the precise moment your car starts to sputter, spit and lurch like a taser charged ferret. Your eyes immediately flick to the gas gauge, because deep in your soul-of-souls, you experience a charge of enlightenment worthy of a Shaolin monk. You, Young Grasshopper, have run out of […]
A Voice on Outline Driven Writing
Outlining versus Free Form writing is a hotly contested debate in author circles. I know, I know, the subject doesn’t carry the weight of discussing a solution to violence in Afghanistan, or searching for a missing jetliner in the middle of the Indian Ocean. But the fact that writers seem willing to spill blood over […]
James L'Etoile
James L'Etoile 