Gene Wolfe said, “You never learn how to write a novel. You only learn to write the novel you’re on.” “The protagonist is the character whose fate matters most to the story.” Stephen Koch
Experiment with Novel Revision
Jack Heffron in The Writer’s Idea Book, suggests a way to revise by cutting out five details in a chapter or short story. Details could be objects, colors, dialogue, etc. Then add five different details. How has it changed? Are the new details, the right ones? How do details shape a story? Thomas Wolfe debated […]
A Motif in Norman in the Painting
Foo dogs are a motif in my novel Norman in the Painting. Here is an excerpt from Chapter One. Jill meets Norman for the first time when he appears in the antique shop and asks Jill what she is holding. She answers foo dogs and he wants to more about them: “They are believed to […]
Protagonist admires Norman Rockwell Paintings
My protagonist, Jill, in my new multidimensional novel “Norman in the Painting” is a fan of Norman Rockwell. She falls in love with a man in a Rockwell style painting who appears from another dimension. As in most romance mysteries, obstacles block their way in being together. An old friend of hers has to move […]
Character Tip
Monica Wood offers us a writing tip: “If your main character is eluding you, have her write a letter to the editor.” What is on her or his mind?
Character Prompt
Want a new character in your book or story just for fun? Plan a trip to a store where there is only one cash register. Promise yourself that the first person in line when you walk in will be a character you will develop. What does he/she look like? What kinds of clothes? Hairstyle? Notice […]