A couple posts ago there was some discussion about the sort of detail that helps shape character. I figured it might be worthwhile to ramble a bit about details in worldbuilding. When I listen to discussions of favorite books, whether … Continue reading
I remember a teacher long ago saying that that the writer-reader contract was more intimate than marriage: “How’s that?” a student asked skeptically, with the face of one who has yawned through many an assigned book. The answer was that … Continue reading
At a con, a panel was asked: What makes us believe in a world or a character, what undermines that, and how can that tension be leveraged? I thought this would be a great topic for discussion, though at the … Continue reading
Auntie Deborah is back at her advice desk… If two authors want to collaborate on writing a novel, how much should each author contribute? Auntie Deborah: It all depends. There are so many different ways to do this. I’ve seen … Continue reading
I’ve written before about Seven Brides for Seven Brothers–a musical with decent lyrics and fabulous dancing, and a sensibility straight out of the Pleistocene. I happened upon the source material this week in a collection of Stephen Vincent Benet short … Continue reading
Auntie Deborah is back at her advice desk… I’ve been told that as a new writer I should write what I know. How can I apply this to writing a historical novel? Auntie Deborah: First of all, that old saw … Continue reading
I did something really cool a while back. I went to a seminar sponsored by Mystery Writers of America (MWA), an organization I joined after the publication of my first Gina Miyoko Mystery, THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER (from Pegasus Crime). The seminar … Continue reading
For years, when people described pantsing vs plotting, I listened carefully to everyone. I was trying to work out what I was doing wrong. I was doing nothing wrong. I was flying by the seat of my pants… my way. … Continue reading
For a number of years, I had the privilege of editing the anthology series, Lace and Blade. The concept was a certain flavor of elegant, romantic sword and sorcery, witty and stylized, sensual yet with plenty of swashbuckling action (think The … Continue reading
It’s a favorite panel topic at science fiction conventions – scratch around in any con’s program and some variation of “pantser or plotter?” will pop up, like you’re playing Whack-a-Mole. You’d think people have heard everything to be said about … Continue reading
