Writing can go through seasons—some seasons are hot and fast, filled with fireworks, while others are cold and sluggish, like a Sunday morning in December. After one of those cold, unproductive seasons, getting back to our computers to do some fiction writing can feel like a sun-kissed reward for having survived all those lost gloves […]
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Writing & Music – A Beautiful Relationship – On the RMFW Blog
Have you ever really thought about how music can affect your creativity, the stories you tell, or even the characters in your stories? I write about connections between writing and music this week on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog: “Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.” I’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks!
Writers Have Keen Observation Skills – Or So I’ve Heard
Keen observation skills. That’s pretty much an essential quality for a writer, right? We observe setting. We observe atmosphere. We observe human nature. We observe conflict and emotion and irony. But boy, I’d be lousy as a crime scene witness. Detective: “Can you describe the perpetrator?” Me: “Um. I think it was a white guy.” […]
Writing Body Language – Are Your Characters Fluent in Body Language?
In the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the comedians often perform a particular sketch, called “Moving People,” where they pull two audience members on stage. Two of the comedians act out a scene while the two audience members frantically try to pose them to match the dialogue. The comedians are as helpful […]
Goal + Fear = Conflict
So there’s this guy. He’s tall. Bit of a loner. Okay, a lot of a loner, even when he’s with people. I know what he drives. I know what he drinks. I know he’s getting mixed up with a woman who may not be who she says she is. But I don’t know what makes […]
Choosing Character Names
By Kelley Lindberg Choosing a name for your character is every bit as important – and sometimes as difficult – as choosing a name for your child. There are plenty of criteria for choosing the right name. You want the name to be memorable, for one. It should also be easy to say (or read). […]
