I just finished Suzanne Collin's first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. It was a compelling, fast-paced read in an intriguing world with chilling rules and political complications that captivate the reader. I found our main character, sixteen-year-old Katniss, to be a strong-willed, tough and likeable character. She is not without her weaknesses. Soon after the story opens, her love for her little sister, Prim, forces…
Be impeccable in your word. This is the first of The Four Agreements. In the context of the book's philosphy this is a determined truthfulness and also a dedicated integrity. If you say you will do something, it is tantamount that you do this. Otherwise, your word becomes useless. More on the Four Agreements coming for future posts. For now, it is enough to bring these up and remind myself…
A friend of mine recently noticed that a painting in my dining room was an original with my name in the corner. He told me that he wanted to know more about the part of me that studied and loved painting, not just the isolated section of me that identifies with stories and being a wordsmith. Another friend asked me, how does my love for painting,…
I recently encountered a technique for fleshing out a scene that has blown my mind with its insightful attention to detail. Whether writing the scene for the first time or rewriting it because it needs more substance or just plain rewriting the scene because something isn't working, this technique can be used for any of these purposes. I have a tendency to sink heavily into one or two of the six…
In the beginning...Once upon a time...There once was a boy... Although many stories begin with interesting beginnings, it seems quite easy for a storyteller to get caught up in the "and then" action that propels the hero into the battle that faces him and the victory (we hope) that he enjoys at the end of the action. I want to talk about the concept of setting up…
How in the world am I supposed to write, rewrite, edit, market myself, blog, find an agent, network and find time for the seemingly hundreds of things that writers are "supposed to do" in order to establish themselves and win the great trophy of the title published? (For those of you who can relate to this, it may be an appropriate time to tear at your hair).…
Looking at the world through another's eyes can be enchanting, funny, disturbing or profound. Christopher Boone's avid attention to detail in this first-person canine murder mystery makes this story both funny and heartwarming. A dog is discovered brutally skewered with a garden rake in the yard of Christopher's next door neighbor. His investigations follow the logic of Christopher's revered Sherlock Holmes and continue dig up more trouble than answers, but he does not…
All right everyone, put on your thinking caps. I'm considering the ways we prefer to be inspired. At a WOTS steering committee meeting last night we were debating the theme for our next year's writing contest. Entrants are given a word or phrase which they must use to form their work of fiction, poetry or non-fiction. Last night we narrowed our choices down to two words, which for now shall be locked away in my secret…
I'm rooting for the hero. I'm hoping to learn some deep truth, even at the cost of emotional pain for the hero and also for myself, because I tend to read with empathy. I reach the final page and I realize the story has ended without any resolution of the sorrow. The ending has no consolation to offer me. I've just finished reading The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, a…
It's more than just an creating entertaining story, it's building a story that resonates. If this new book by Brian McDonald is anything like his Invisible Ink, you will blown away by the structure he reveals for how to write a story with maximum impact. The best stories are not those that simply dazzle us with a car chase or wow us with clever dialog. There…