Hook vs. First Plot Point — Don’t Get Fooled
Monster post today. Set aside a couple extra minutes to soak this one up. I’ve heard from several readers on this sticky little issue. Some quote books and workshop gurus who say you should present something early-on in a story to grab the reader. To get the story moving quickly. In doing so, they seem to […]
Today’s Sermon. Really. I mean, literally.
Before I mount the podium here, allow me to thank you all for your suggestions for the content and focus of Storyfix moving forward. The clear leader is the call for more story deconstruction, with good showings for genre differentiation, sub-plotting, short story structure, first plot point confusion, multiple protagonists and POV, scene execution, keeping a […]
Storyfix is Accepting Requests
You may have noticed that things have been a bit slow here lately. Chalk it up to tax season, a cluttered personal life, a major workshop, some guest posts on other sites (a cobbler’s children/shoes paradox) and some freelance gigs… and that’s only an explanation, not an excuse. Yeah, I do have a personal life. I’m […]
The Thin Line Between Author and Protagonist
This is a cautionary tale. Your readers will always assume that, to some extent, the hero in your story is you. Which means you need to take care if it is important to you what they think in that regard. There are no guidelines for this one, just a warning and a call to action. […]
Monday Mess and Madness
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saw a great film I highly recommend, both for deconstruction purposes and as an example of a great character-driven thriller. It’s called Chloe, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neelson and Amanda Seyfried, one of the hottest (in terms of her career) young actors in Hollywood. It’s directed by Atom […]
Check out “The Knot” by Josh Hanagarne — The World’s Strongest Librarian
Really. And he’s 6’8″, too. With Michael Crichton’s sad and sudden departure that makes Josh the tallest novelist on the planet. Which means I’m the second tallest. As for the strongest novelist badge — I’ll concede the Strongest Libarian title — we haven’t gone mano-a-mono in the gym yet (we can both bench press John Grisham’s checkbook) so that’s a […]