In honor of National Poetry Month (April), I talk about how fiction writers can wade into the murky waters of a writing a simple poem to help find their fictional characters’ voices. Check out my article on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog: “Using Poetry to Explore a Character’s Voice in Fiction.”
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Thanksgiving on the Page: Gratitude as a Character Trait in Your Writing – On the RMFW Blog
As you’re developing characters in your stories, have you considered how those characters feel about expressing gratitude to another being? Do they say “thank you” freely, or do they view saying thanks as an obligation or a debt to be paid? Expressing thanks can take on strong meanings for your characters whether you’re writing a […]
Character-Building: What Does Freedom Mean to Your Protagonist? – On the RMFW Blog
When you’re creating a character in your story, it’s important to make them as well-rounded and three-dimensional as possible. You must know their history, their desires, their goals, their obstacles, their quirks, and the way they’ll react in any given situation. Have you considered how they define freedom, and what they might do if they […]
Fire Up Your Writing Energy – Bar Scene
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 […]
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.” […]
