Using Psychology Podcasts for Character Development

person in black pants and black shoes sitting on brown wooden chair

Finding that perfect balance for characterization can be difficult. Many err on the side of simplicity, and this turns their characters into mere caricatures. These flat characters are boring and predictable. Others try to develop so much back story and depth that their characters become too unpredictable. If every character acted like a real human, … Read more

Don’t Sacrifice Prose for Voice

prose and voice

I often find some really bad sentences in books I read. I wanted to start a series in which we look at why they are bad and how to fix them. Unfortunately, I’m a bit stuck on how to proceed. I really want this blog to lift up excellent books and art. I don’t want … Read more

Are the Self-Publishing Gurus Out of Touch?

self-publishing guru

Let me start by saying that I appreciate all the free content the self-publishing gurus put out. It’s quite generous and high quality. There must be ten or more hours of podcasts each week that come to my phone, not to mention blog posts and youtube and e-mails. That’s just me, meaning it’s only a … Read more

The Character/Caricature Balance

caricature and character

Do you know the difference between character and caricature in writing? This article gives the distinction and a method for striking the right balance. Your characters need your help.

The Prose of J.K. Rowling

prose of jk rowling

Even her books for adults, written under the name Robert Galbraith, have terrible prose style. Her sentences contain missing clauses, poor construction, confused tense and point of view, imprecise descriptions, and poor word choice. This article analyzes the prose style of J.K. Rowling.

Sentence Length: Writing Fundamentals 4

sentence length

I was all set this week to get away from the negative critiques of fundamental errors I keep finding. I wanted to discuss the prose of Steven Erikson, because Gardens of the Moon is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read. But each week, it seems I find a new candidate for the worst … Read more

Reduce Wordiness: Writing Fundamentals 3

reduce wordiness

As I continue to read poorly edited (I’m not referring to typos) KU books, I continue to find fundamental problems to talk about. Here’s one that will probably be obvious to many people when I point it out, but it would never jump out in a self-editing session to them. Here’s a real example: Maria … Read more