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September 29, 2015
The musicality of language – an interview with David Arcus
We learn so much from each other, particularly from other artists.This month, I’ve been thinking a lot about rhythm, and what rhythm does to story. It’s so important, and it’s not a static thing ...
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May 19, 2015Writers on TV Feature Interview: Andy Burns
As soon as I decided I wanted to interview writers about TV, I knew I wanted to talk to Andy Burns. I recently read his engrossing examination of Wrapped In Plastic: Twin Peaks from ECW Press. Andy was ...
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November 27, 2015On "Fiction" - Writing from Real Life
Over the past while I’ve noticed a number of situations where an author is asked about the autobiographical or non-fiction elements in their books. It has always been something that people are interested ...
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June 25, 2015The Lucky Seven Interview, with Ken Murray
William Oaks has managed to create the facade of a normal, even dull, man. But when his parents die in a car accident, that facade is shattered, and William's complicated family history, filled with religious ...
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November 24, 2015On Writing Violence - An Addendum
I’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback and some questions about one of my first posts for Open Book, “On Writing Violence.” One reader, Susan, asked me in the comments about how this all ...
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August 01, 2015
The Greatest Joy of Writing Is to Occasionally Be out of Your Mind
Writing these posts over the past month has reminded me of something. It seems obvious but I’d forgotten: When writing short pieces for regular publication (in this case, every other day), my writing ...
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July 30, 2015
Do Not Wait for Inspiration
Do not wait for inspiration; that bus is on an irregular schedule.I’ve been asked several times now what was the inspiration or vision for my recently published novel, and I often see disappointment ...
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November 20, 2015Taking Your Medicine in the Editing Room
In previous posts I’ve talked about the hard road to getting a book published, and even a bit about the effort that goes into just getting those first few stories done. I’ve talked about submitting ...
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July 17, 2015
Storylines
“All kinds of storylines are playing out here.” Question: This quote is most likely to be heard from...(a) A TV journalist reporting on a political or legal case?(b) A football commentator?(c) A book ...
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May 14, 2015Graphic Novel (On TV) Month: the Book vs. the Film, Part 1
Inspired by my conversation with Merril Collection librarian Lorna Toolis, I started thinking about how a shift from book into film can change the subtext of a graphic novel. I’m thinking generally ...
