On DeepGenre: Building Character(s)

On the group blog DeepGenre today, I tackle the question of building characters. Specifically, how do you build three-dimensional, believable characters in your stories? I compare building characters to the art of additive sculpture.

How to Write a Novel (Part 2)

So you decided to write a novel, you committed yourself to the task, and you agonized your way through your first draft — as described in How to Write a Novel (Part 1). Now one of two things will happen: 1) You’ll print that sucker out and add a title page. You’ll type up a page dedicating the book to your sister Chloë in Venice, whose steadfast support and witty observations helped you get through the … Read more

How to Write a Novel (Part 1)

One of the Ten Commandments of Author Blogging is “thou must write a post explaining how thou writest thine novels.” And so, in an effort to save my immortal writerly soul from scribbler’s purgatory, I’m going to explain my process in easy numbered steps that anyone can follow. Since I’ve only written two novels to date — Infoquake and MultiReal — and am now in the midst of a third, I can’t say that this is always going to be my … Read more

How Does the Story End?

As part of the planning process for how I’m going to wrap up my Jump 225 trilogy of novels, I’ve been thinking a lot about the structure of story. I think it’s useful for us writers and readers to occasionally step back from the process to remind ourselves of one crucial thing: stories are artificial. They’re constructs. I’m not just talking about the difference between fiction and non-fiction. I’m talking about the very idea of storytelling itself. It’s an … Read more

Stupid Writer Tricks: 10 Writing Tricks to Avoid

Here are ten writing tricks and techniques you sometimes see in amateur manuscripts that I think it’s best to avoid. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, some of which I’ve noted below; there will always be exceptions to the rule. But in general, if you hew to these guidelines except in very special circumstances, you’ll be a better writer for it. Let’s use a football analogy here. Sure, once or twice a season, you’re going … Read more

From First to Final Draft: A Case Study

This weekend, I did something that’s guaranteed to strike fear in the heart of even the most accomplished writer: I looked back through the old drafts of my novel. Every writer has a different method of rewriting, and there’s no one method that fits everybody. Some bang out their magnum opus in one draft, more or less; some take five or ten drafts. I tend towards the latter end of the scale. My book Infoquake took no less than … Read more

The Two Elements Common to All Science Fiction Stories

Since my post on The Five Elements Common to All Stories, I’ve been thinking about the obvious follow-up: what are the common elements of science fiction stories? We can argue all day about what constitutes a science fiction story and what doesn’t. (And, heck, if you’re reading this blog, chances are nothing would make you happier.) But for the purposes of this post, I’m going to include both the genres commonly known as science fiction and fantasy, as well … Read more

The Five Elements Common to All Stories

I’ve been thinking about the purpose of telling stories. Simply for amusement or diversion, as the most cynical critics suggest? For education, as those in the ivory tower suggest? For enrichment of the soul, as the spiritually inclined might say? I tried to break down the story into its most base elements. What are the ingredients that no story can possibly do without? Every time I tried to think of something that fit this description, … Read more

Superman Returns, For the First Time

My wife and I went to see Superman Returns last night. No, I don’t intend to write a full-blown review here. Suffice it to say that while the plot inconsistencies do seem to surface quicker than Lex Luthor’s proto-crystalline continent, Bryan Singer does an admirable job in resurrecting the Big Blue Guy. Quibble all you want about the details, but Brandon Routh was Superman, and that’s just about all that matters. But here’s what I really want to discuss. About … Read more