The popular mantra in the world of fiction writing is pretty much this: Never ever use an adverb ever. While I’m certainly no fan of these dangerous little modifying words, I’m not sure why they are considered by many to be the words of the devil himself. Perhaps it has something to do with Stephen […]
The Key is to Bring Empathy to Your Characters
I’ve always said that it doesn’t matter how beautiful your prose is, how tight your plot is, or how detailed your setting is, if you can’t get a reader to care about your story. And for me as a reader, the most important thing a writer can do to make me care is to make […]
Books bring more memories than just the stories they tell
One of those character traits I have that people might consider strange is I keep a physical copy of every book I’ve ever read. I should probably throw in the disclaimer that this doesn’t includes books I’ve read for classes, work, or any audiobooks. I’m just talking about books I’ve read–on paper–for fun. Every now […]
The Two “Non-fiction” Books that Kept Me Up at Night
With Halloween was just a couple of nights away and the real horror show taking place in the US on November 8 (har har), I thought it would be fun to talk a little more on my favorite genre. As I’ve probably repeated over and over, I love horror more than most things. I love […]
Five Links Friday 10/14/16
We’re half way into the best month of the year, and it’s been a so-so month for me as far as the writing is concerned. Hope it’s a good one for you so far. Hare are Five Links for ya to read over the weekend! 1. Let’s start with a fun little video giving 25way’s […]
Five Common Horror Twist Endings to Avoid
Ever since M.Night Shyamalan unleashed The Sixth Sense onto the world, seemingly every horror movie and short story shares one thing in common: the need for a twist at the end. And now after all these years, I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen them all. Repeatedly. Even M. Night Shyamalan movies appear to […]
Five Links Friday 8/19/16
It’s already another Friday. Between weekend activities and sick kids, I didn’t get nearly as much novel revising done as I hoped. Oh well, it’s the start of another weekend and time to catch up. Here are five links for ya to enjoy! 1. So your novel is done. Maybe you’re querying agents, or waiting […]
A Quick Write-up On “An Evening With Stephen King”
So I don’t consider myself the type of person who gets all gaga for celebrities, but every rule has an exception. And that exception was recently brought to life when The Bookworm in Omaha (a.k.a. The Awesomest Independent Bookstore in the World) hosted An Evening With Stephen King. Do you remember the first book you […]