Podcast
I call my podcast Writing Muse and Writing Mentor, because sometimes I talk about what inspires writers, and sometimes I give practical tips.
4 Characteristics of Compelling Characters (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor)
One of the most fundamental tasks of any novelist is to make the reader care about the characters. To this end, I offer four characteristics of compelling characters. “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” (Kurt Vonnegut)
What do your characters need?
The Evolution of the Mystery Genre (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor)
Chesterton seems to have cared far less for genre standards than detective fiction writers before him, writing stories and creating a character that denies one basic, traditional assumption of the genre: the material world is all that exists. Once his readers let go of this premise, Chesterton opens the genre to a host of story and theme possibilities.
For instance, where Holmes solves paradoxical crimes by denying false clues, Father Brown uses a spiritual understanding of paradox to solve crimes. Where formerly one-dimensional secondary characters abound, Chesterton gives them purpose by using them to spread philosophical messages.
Being Inspired by a Writing Tradition (Writing Muse)
“The secret is to follow the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something different in yours.” (Edgar Degas)