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KAY KENYON
Nov 14, 2010
More on Concept
Last time I asked you to blurb your book. To state what your book is about in a sentence. Hard, isn’t it? I said that on the basis of...
Nov 8, 2010
What a Concept
If you had to blurb your novel in progress, what would you say? Go ahead, I’m all ears. Not the plot, we don’t have time for that. Not...
Nov 1, 2010
Thing I wish I’d Known
This is an update to my post “Things I Wish I’d Known” from December 2008 (Live Journal). Every now and then my perspective changes on...
Oct 19, 2010
On Flexibility
I’m heading to the gym in an hour, part of my quest to develop flexibility. You know you gotta have it, or your body gets soft and...
Oct 14, 2010
Deep Character
Believable, empathetic characters are central to a novel. Oddly, though, they can get short-changed by writers. We know that readers look...
Sep 28, 2010
On Becoming a Writer
How do we become fiction writers? What do we need to know? How do we learn writing it in the first place? Answers abound: schooling,...
Sep 7, 2010
What’s It All About?
In all of the frenzy to lock down the elements of story craft, we often forget what we’re talking about in the first place. That is, what...
Aug 26, 2010
Writing in Scenes, part 2
Last time I talked about writing in scenes: what they are and how they can discipline your writing. But not all scenes are equal. We all...
Aug 18, 2010
Writing in Scenes, Part 1
People shake their heads in bemused wonder. How do you get a novel written? How can it possibly be done, given how–well, long it is?...
Aug 5, 2010
On Not Writing
Can’t find time to write? Don’t feel like it? Lost your nerve? If you’re not writing, you might be suffering from simple...
Jul 27, 2010
Connecting Characters
You’ve got your novel’s cast of characters, let’s say. You’ve carefully considered the central conflict between two characters.You’ve...
Jul 20, 2010
Your Death Bed Scene
I was very surprised to hear crime novelist Elizabeth George say one time in a speech that she avoided writing novels for years, and only...
Jul 15, 2010
The Tight Abs of Your Novel
Beginners’ novels tend to sag in the middle. We have lost some of the fire of the beginning. We are still far from our stunning...
Jun 26, 2010
An Introvert’s Guide to Writing, #3
In the opening installment of my ongoing series on Writing 101 for Introverts, I explained what introversion is and is not, and why we...
Jun 17, 2010
Stories and Pacing
Pacing errors can kill your story. Repetitive, low-tension paragraphs and scenes will get you more rejections than any other writing...
Jun 11, 2010
On Work Schedules
Not a glamorous topic, but if you’re not getting writing done, I can almost guarantee that you have No Schedule. On the Myth of Free Time...
Jun 8, 2010
The Power of Secrets
Is your story riding a powerful concept, occupied by empathetic characters, solidly written–and falling a bit flat? One aspect of the...
Jun 5, 2010
Point of View Basics
Writers sometimes get in a snarl over point of view (POV) issues. But never fear. It’s just another tool you get to use–and choose. One...
May 20, 2010
What You Need to Succeed
Luck. Thank you for your attention. I’ll stand by for questions. ___________________ This past weekend Terry Brooks told a rapt crowd of...
May 17, 2010
Can Writing Be Taught?
Along with 90 other people, I sat in on a marvelous writing workshop this weekend. Even after 10 published novels, I was able glean a few...
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