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Monthly Archives: May 2013

Re: Write – Backstory Exercise

Tweet We’ve been discussing backstory these last few weeks, and we’ll be wrapping it up today. I hope that I’ve shown you how important backstory is and how carefully you need to handle it. We’ll finish today with an exercise that I did with two other writers. You may remember Francesca from the writing sample […]

Backstory: A Case Study (Cline vs. King)

Tweet I’m a picky reader. I’m not shy about it. If I start a book and it doesn’t grab me quickly, I’ll put it down. I don’t know where I get it from ; my dad feels duty bound to finish any book he picks up. Not me. Books need to prove they deserve my […]

Researching Your Setting

No matter what genre you’re writing, you need to research your setting. Even if you’re making that setting up.

Writing, (W)romance, and Wraiths

To sex or not to sex? Today’s post is all about paranormal and fantasy romance. Rawr.

C.R.E.A.M.

Tweet With special assistance from the Wu Tang Clan, I’m going to try and address one of the weirdest, most all-over-the-place topics in the ongoing, evolving mess that is indie and self publishing. What the HELL should these things cost? As far as advice, you’ve come to the wrong place because I HAVE NO IDEA. Race […]

Backstory: A Case Study (Koontz)

Tweet Last week I introduced the Biographical Priority Index. It’s the handy-dandy system we can use to rate elements of a character’s backstory based on whether and when to introduce them. Priority 1 information is stuff we need to introduce as soon as practical (note that says practical, not possible; it’s awkward if you force information into […]