I like to read quotes for writers at the end of the day. Some inspire, some make me laugh, and some I nod my head in agreement. “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” ―Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt “You have to write the book that wants […]
Writer Interview with Camille DeFer Thompson
Camille DeFer Thompson has an essay and a novel excerpt in my anthology, Written Across the Genres. She has stories in other collections such as Clash of the Couples, Not Your Mother’s Book On Working for a Living, Not Your Mother’s Book On Home Improvement, Encore Voices of the Valley, and several years in the […]
Character Names
How did you determine what to name your characters? Did the names just pop into your head? Did you change the names often? Did you look up their meanings? In my multidimensional novel, Norman in the Painting, I choose the first or second name that came to me. I decided to look up their meanings […]
Rhetorical Device Chiasmus
The Rhetorical Device, Chiasmus means repetition of ideas in inverted order. For example: “It is boring to eat; to sleep fulfilling.” Chiasmus frequently uses the pattern above which is present participle-infinitive; infinitive-present participle. Other examples: “The instinct of a man is to pursue everything that flies from him, and to fly from all that pursues him.” (Voltaire) “Bad men live that they […]
Margaret Atwood Quotes
“Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like paté.” -Margaret Atwood, novelist and poet “In the end, we all become stories.” “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” “Water does not resist. Water flows. When you […]
Is Your Character Addicted to Being Right?
If any of your characters are addicted to being right, they would rather be right than happy. They have to have the last word in an argument and proving their point of view takes precedent over listening to others. Even after being shown they are wrong, they still search for ways to prove their point […]
What Kind of Apple Does Your Character Like?
What kind of apple does your character like? The preference might not seem important but it adds the sense of taste and personalizes your character. It’s a detail that can add some depth. Another point to consider is the popularity of different apple varieties over the last few decades. Red Delicious was the top choice […]