In my prehistoric fiction series, Man vs. Nature, quiet is important. My characters usually try to blend into nature, become invisible. I did a lot of research on how special forces and survivalists do that but also how animals–like elephants–can be so quiet despite moving quickly. Turns out, there’s a science to walking quietly. Most … Continue reading
When I wrote my first novel, To Hunt a Sub, I found out that I learned a lot about life from my characters. I wrote about that here if you’d like to check it out. That novel is set in the present day but my newest novel, Against All Odds, the third book in my … Continue reading
There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. Popular lore says they can drop a pin through a straw without touching the sides. Which isn’t true, of course. Here’s … Continue reading
I’ve devoured both of Kathy Steinemann’s pithy writer’s help books, The Writer’s Lexicon Vol. 1 and 2. I received her latest–The Writer’s Body Lexicon–as an ARC and it now occupies pride of place on my how-to-write virtual bookshelf. It covers descriptions and details about bodies and so much more. It’s available on Amazon tomorrow–June 30, … Continue reading
I haven’t written about secondary characters in a long time, maybe never! Thankfully, Debra Purdy Kong, author of the exciting Casey Holland Mysteries series and webmaster for Mystery Deb, has some great ideas on them. In this article, she covers how to sketch them out (with an Excel spreadsheet), how to make them memorable, and … Continue reading
When I discovered Tony Hillerman, I thought I’d gone to reader heaven. He’s exactly what I love about an atmospheric book–he carries me away to an alternate world, lets me know that I’m not the only one who struggles with my foibles, and teaches me about culture in a non-narrative way. I quickly finished his … Continue reading
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make … Continue reading
My current ms is so far from its beginnings that I’d almost forgotten it started with photos to draw character profiles. I remember how much fun it was browsing through internet images of paleoanthropologists, staring into their eyes to see if they were Kali or Zeke (my two main characters). Did they have her fragile spirit … Continue reading
As I’ve mentioned (sometimes to convince myself), I am closing in on a publication of my thriller, To Hunt a Sub. My characters have changed considerably in the years I’ve been writing the book, sometimes through my pen, but often because they’ve opened up to me, much as a friend does when you get to … Continue reading
Over half of our communication is done with body language, not words. I study it so I can characterize the people in my books–their actions, hand gestures, facial expressions–and it has taught me a lot about reading people’s interior monologue–those ideas they don’t want to share, but inadvertently do. Even the best speakers have a … Continue reading
