These books by Lewis Carroll are classified in the genre of “nonsense literature”, and rightfully so. The author must have considered children to have very short attention spans indeed, as the scene changes every time you think you’ve got a fix on what is going on. The characters are irritably irritable, and the use ofContinue reading “Review: ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ & ‘Through the Looking Glass’”
Tag Archives: genre
25 Songs That Would Make Great Story Titles
Here’s one just for fun. I’ve always been something of an audiophile (as those who have read my “25 Memorable Quotations” post have probably guessed), and I can’t tell you how many times a great line from a song, or even the song title itself, has come in handy when coming up with titles forContinue reading “25 Songs That Would Make Great Story Titles”
What Happened to Country Music?
When I was three years old, “I’m from the Country” and “Bye Bye” were my two favorite songs. I was quite familiar with names like Jo Dee Messina, Tracy Bird, and Alan Jackson. I was also familiar with Shania Twain and Dixie Chicks, though whether the latter two really qualify as “country” is debatable. ButContinue reading “What Happened to Country Music?”
Marketing Matters: Age Ranges
Though it has always been my opinion that the best works are those that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, not everyone is capable of writing that perfect story every time. As a result, we generally have to be a little more selective regarding our audience (see my previous post on “Defining YourContinue reading “Marketing Matters: Age Ranges”
Pitching to a Literary Agent Live: What It’s Really Like
A couple years ago, I attended the last annual Longview Literary Festival in Lee’s Summit, MO. It was an incredibly fun experience as always, but different from previous years in that, for the first time ever, I got to pitch a novel series to a literary agency in person! Here I am going to tellContinue reading “Pitching to a Literary Agent Live: What It’s Really Like”
Agents: What Are They Good For?
Love them or hate them, literary agents are a force to be reckoned with in the publishing world. Just about all the big-name authors have one, and any online search you do for book publishers will likely bring up some agency names as well. So, who are these mysterious entities who do so much behind-the-scenesContinue reading “Agents: What Are They Good For?”
Kinds of Conflict
At the core of any good story lies conflict. Having likeable, believable characters is good too, but unless there’s something driving them to act, they’re not much more use than a hammer without nails.
Writing Nonfiction
Needless to say, writing nonfiction is a very different experience from writing fiction. The most obvious fact, of course, is that while with fiction your only limits are those imposed by yourself, with nonfiction your job is to posit straight facts. This can lead some to believe that nonfiction is a more restrictive or boringContinue reading “Writing Nonfiction”
World Building
The most important aspect of any book next to character is setting, for without it there would be no context for the story to exist. I would go so far as to say anywhere from one third to half of any story has to do with establishing the surroundings in which the action can unfold,Continue reading “World Building”
The Worst of the Worst: Making Believable Antagonists
Continuing from last week’s post on creating good characters, I will now give a look at how best to portray those characters who are often far more interesting: the baddies. For the most part, the same rules apply to making good bad guys as making good good guys: show rather than tell, make his/her problemContinue reading “The Worst of the Worst: Making Believable Antagonists”