Tag Archives: character

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ten Books You Should Read

Posted on December 23, 2020 by dbjackson

Early in the year — even before the pandemic hit — I wrote a post in which I basically said that all writers should read. There are certain “rules” about the profession that are actually negotiable — writers don’t really … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, History, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Setting, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Ten Books You Should Read

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Dialogue Attribution Revisited

Posted on December 16, 2020 by dbjackson

So why am I revisiting the topic now? The short answer is it’s Joshua Palmatier’s fault. Maybe I should give you the long answer.   Back in the early spring — it feels like a hundred years ago now — … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Friendship, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Dialogue Attribution Revisited

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Call For Stories, and Submission Advice Revisited!

Posted on December 2, 2020 by dbjackson

I am co-editing a new Zombies Need Brains anthology with my friend, Joshua Palmatier, who is the founder and owner of Zombies Need Brains. Joshua is co-editing all three of the ZNB anthologies this year, which to my mind is … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Fantasy, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Call For Stories, and Submission Advice Revisited!

Writing-Tip Wednesday: The Quickening

Posted on November 18, 2020 by dbjackson

Okay, writers, raise your hand if any of your characters have ever done things you didn’t expect. Yeah, I figure that’s most of us. Now raise your hand if your characters have ever done things you really didn’t want them … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, kids, Novels, parenting, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: The Quickening

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Descriptions and Point of View

Posted on October 14, 2020 by dbjackson

Description does not — cannot — take place in an emotional or circumstantial vacuum. Not that long ago, I offered tips on writing scenes involving sex and violence, and essentially said that dealing with such encounters is almost entirely a … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Setting, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Descriptions and Point of View

Writing-Tip Wednesday: “Pitch Inside”

Posted on September 30, 2020 by dbjackson

In the mid-1980s, my favorite baseball player on the planet was a young pitcher for the New York Mets named Dwight Gooden. Gooden had a meteoric career that was shortened by injuries and chronic drug abuse. But for the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Ethan Kaille, Fantasy, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: “Pitch Inside”

Writing-Tip Wednesday: SEX and VIOLENCE, and How To Write Them

Posted on September 9, 2020 by dbjackson

Title got your attention, eh? Yeah, figured it would. I might not be a marketing genius, but I’ve learned a little bit over the years… Last week, I wrote about using profanity in our writing, and at one point likened … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Novels, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: SEX and VIOLENCE, and How To Write Them

Writing-Tip Wednesday: How To Handle Profanity In Your Writing

Posted on September 2, 2020 by dbjackson

Have you watched the HBO series Deadwood? It’s a Western, the creative child of the brilliant David Milch. It’s violent, brutally realistic, and absolutely the most profane thing I have ever watched, with the possible exception of the Academy Award-winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Setting, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: How To Handle Profanity In Your Writing

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Short Fiction Anthologies — When Does an Idea Become a Story?

Posted on August 12, 2020 by dbjackson

What is the difference between an idea and a story? It sounds like a basic question, but we have just begun the Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter for the coming year’s anthologies, and once again I am hoping to co-edit one … Continue reading →

Posted in Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Short Fiction Anthologies — When Does an Idea Become a Story?

Writing-Tip Wednesday: The ABCs of Character

Posted on August 5, 2020 by dbjackson

Last week, I wrote about befriending our characters, as a way of using empathy to improve our character development. This week I would like to continue the discussion of character work by taking a slightly different approach to creating and … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Novels, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: The ABCs of Character