Way back in the beginning of the new decade (Jan. 15 to be precise), I was reading Albert Zuckerman’s Writing the Blockbuster Novel. Although there were some useful bits in there, it was Ken Follett”s successive outlines for The Man From St. Petersburg that caught my eye. When people talked about outlines and writing I …
Writing from an Outline (or summary, if you will. And I know you will.) Read More »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Have you ever come away from a conversation discombobulated, wondering what happened? Listen to how people talk and you’ll know why that happens. You’ll find this advice in so many books about writing. But what happens when you actually do that? What happens when you listen in on your own coversations? …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Now you may believe you are so bright, And you may not see how they confine your sight, And maybe you wake up late at night, Wondering why you feel so tired, Well my dear, let me tell you now, Do you hear, It’s only fear, only fear, it’s only fear, …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Been writing? Grab a cup of coffee and take a little break. Sit back and listen to the music. Enjoy little shot of inspirado. You deserve it. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdesVXs7lxg] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBaSTozYLdI] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orkQRT8MKho] Mmmm. I believe I’ll have another cup.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsAFdZRRAFk] [tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Yet more brilliant writing from Cormac McCarthy in cinematic form. McCarthy originally wrote No Country for Old Men as a screenplay, so the dialogue you’ve seen here is pretty much directly from the book. And it’s solid. Beats sit neatly between the lines. Subtext simmers under the spoken words. The …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Dig this version of Woodie Guthrie’s Vigilante Man by Ry Cooder. Cooder is probably best remembered these days for his work on the Crossroads soundtrack and The Buena Vista Social Club. I could tell you that he rips it up, but you can watch for yourself. Enjoy the how the tone …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] I’m in the process of wrapping up the second of two short stories that I’ve written in between drafts of Shadow of the Black City. With each short story I write, my awareness of things grows and my writing improves. Things blurred in the murk of my peripheral awareness are coming …
Writing Short Fiction with an Eye on Long Fiction Read More »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] Terabytes of bandwidth have been devoted to exploring literary versus genre fiction (See here, here, and here for examples). After reading many of these kinds of blog posts and articles, I am left with one question: Who cares? I love to read, but not just for the sake of reading. I …
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] My earlier post about nuance in story, about delving into subtext and abstraction, did little more than scratch the surface. However, it brought me back to the the idea of showing rather than telling. Why? As writers, we hear this edict all the time. Sometimes I have a hard time determining …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdNaA4YcXTA] [tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ow.ly] This clip from School of Rock is sweet in its own right, but it’s also a good reminder that you’ve got to grind it out day after day to be good at what you do. And that’s just good. If you want to be great, well, I’ll be happy to …