The All-Important Opening
One bit of advice that is often given to writers is to “grab the audience” right away with a “hook”. That’s great, but what does it mean? Essentially, it’s saying […]
Satisfying Endings
When my mom reads a book, she goes to the last few pages to see how it concludes before starting from the beginning because she doesn’t want to become invested […]
The Business of Entertaining People
I’m always surprised when someone tells me they enjoy my writing. I think I’m a good writer–at least I hope I am. But mostly, I write stories that entertain me, […]
The Onslaught of Remakes
Yes, we know–Hollywood is out of ideas. We hear that every time a new remake (or sequel, adaptation, or reboot) is announced. The thing is, movies have been remade since the […]
Thinking Creatively Within the Box
A common phrase that’s bandied about is “think outside the box,” meaning to not think in the same manner as everyone else, but to come up with new ideas and […]
Speculative Fiction
People often want to lump science fiction, fantasy, and horror together because there is a certain amount of crossover. Strictly speaking, science fiction is exactly as it says–fiction based on […]
Writing and Rewriting and Re-rewriting
Writing is work. To those of us who like to write, it’s fun–but to actually be proficient at it, it takes work. Why do we write? At its most basic, […]
The Future is Back
When I was 17 right after graduating high school, I was visiting my dad for the summer. I happened to open the newspaper to the entertainment section and found a […]