Just Possibly the “Next Big Thing” Novel

Make sure you’re buying the right story. Sometimes publishers and their paid prognosticators (called PR agencies) get it right.  They call the next mega-selling, iconic novel before a single book has been sold. And in doing so they, in effect, ordain it as such.  The chicken and the egg can’t tell each other apart.  Buzz […]

A Master Class in Crime Noir

We write.  Therefore we read. Or at least we should.  Especially after we become acquainted with the technical nuts and bolts of story architecture… once you know this stuff you can’t help but see it at work within successful stories — both books and movies — in a way that jumps out at you. And, serves […]

A Few Great Writing Blogs You Should Check Out. A Few Great Reviews You’ll Find There.

A Few Cool New People in Your Writing Life, Too. First off… please check out my guest post today on Victoria Mixon’s great SITE.  More tough talking truth that will either set your free or piss you off.  Both can be good for the writer in growth mode. If you didn’t catch it, Victoria blessed […]

A Book About Writing That Might Change Your Life

You may not feel your life needs changing.  You may be sick of books about writing.  Both of those feelings, by the way, are warning signs.  Then again, you may share the belief that we can never learn too much, that we should never stop seeking to improve and evolve (like the word or not, […]

1) Welcome to Shutter Island

Perhaps the first question I should address is: why are we deconstructing this particular story? I offer you several compelling reasons. First, Shutter Island comes from the brilliant mind of perhaps the most critically acclaimed of today’s thriller writers, Dennis Lehane.  If we’re going to sit at someone’s feet and take notes, might as well […]

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 […]

Part 2: Why It Took Me 28 Years to Write My “Latest” Novel

Click HERE to read Part 1 of this article, wherein I explain why writing this novel scared the hell out of me. Maybe even literally. The Story Behind Whisper of the Seventh Thunder Consider this for a moment.  If you don’t believe any of it, then big deal, you keep writing.  But I did believe, […]

Why It Took Me 28 Years to Write My “Latest” Novel

The Story Behind Whisper of the Seventh Thunder Part 1 of 2. People ask me all the time where I get my ideas.  I have two answers.  One is for writers, and I usually give it at my writing workshops in context to seizing a teachable moment.  The other is less precise, and much longer. […]

“How to Write a Great Novel” – Why the Wall Street Journal Got it Wrong

I gotta admit, this pisses me off.  And if you buy into the first half of that headline, it should piss you off, too. Because somebody’s gonna read last Fridays’ Wall Street Journal article entitled, “How to Write A Great Novel,” and they’ll to go back to their stories and emulate the supposed strategies of the […]

The Best Stylist Writing Thrillers Today

No, it’s not me. His name is Colin Harrison. There’s great value in studying the work of others. This goes for good books, great books and lousy books — there’s always something to learn. But to learn it, you need to understand the criteria of a well written story.  And if you’re a writer, that […]