I recently had a reader comment, “I noticed most of your characters are tea drinkers. Is that because you are?” I said yes. Here’s the expanded answer… I’m allergic to coffee. So, I have no frame of reference for it. … Continue reading
How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? Or, who are you going to upset or offend with this book? Terry Odell Clichés are to be avoided, they tell us. So are stereotypes. (Still haven’t figured out who “they” is, … Continue reading
Strategic timing of a book’s publication date can give it a boost and have a major impact on its long-term success. Commercial publishers and booksellers have known this forever. *Full disclosure: I wrote this post for Writers Helping Writers, but … Continue reading
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories. — Steven Wright We often talk about a character’s backstory, including a “wound” that haunts as a “ghost” in the present. It’s a … Continue reading
You can’t fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal. — William S. Burroughs. By PJ Parrish Would it have been the same if Freddy Mercury had gone with his first instinct and called it Mongolian Rhapsody? … Continue reading
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell George Horace Lorimer was the legendary editor of The Saturday Evening Post from 1899 to 1936. He brought the circulation up from a few thousand to over a million, and made it a place known … Continue reading
Protagonists, antagonists and supporting characters– without some version of each, it would be very difficult to write a thriller, and even harder to write a murder mystery. Protagonists must tackle the obstacles they face, with strength of will, usually sooner … Continue reading
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell We’ve often discussed here the different approaches to writing a novel. In dualistic terms, we sometimes use the terms “plotters” and “pantsers.” Or, “outliners” and “intuitive (or discovery) writers.” There are some ’tweeners (“plantsers”), too. … Continue reading
One of my favorite ways to play with characterization is to assign my main character a ringtone. In my Mayhem Series, Shawnee Daniels started with “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette. Two books later, she switched to ZZ Ward’s “Put … Continue reading
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell Once you wrap your head around the concept of the mirror moment, you’ll find them popping up all over the place. Quick review. At the midpoint of a novel or movie, you’ll usually find a … Continue reading