Salt Lake Blues Pink lakes are down south. There's a red lake on the south-east coast. Here, in the badlands of salty sands and nothing to hold water on the surface, there's only the blue salts. Like a cloud of colour. Insubstantial drifts of colour. Blue, the type of blue that comes with summer skies, … Continue reading It’s a Story this Week
#amWriting
A Beat in A Beat
A beat, a beat, what the bubble is a beat in a story? My imagination, when I first heard this term, was a beating, but no. A beat is a moment in time in a story where discoveries or actions cause forward momentum. Discoveries – things we learn – are changes in knowledge. Decisions – … Continue reading A Beat in A Beat
FFF … Again
It's not being rude, honest. In fact, I've talked about it before. It? The human reaction cycle: Freeze, Flight, Fight. Freeze is always first: Stand still and the danger won't see me. It also gives time to assess the situation, to decide whether to slowly sink down or sidle across to the darker shadows and … Continue reading FFF … Again
December, 2021
And what awaits us in the next year? As an ever-hopeful soul (put that scowl away!), I'm hoping 2022 is calmer, shorter, less fretful than the last two years. I want people to care about others, to take care in how they interact with the world, to enjoy something in each moment of every day. … Continue reading December, 2021
Conflict, suspense, and tension
(Okay, let's just pretend it's Friday and I'm doing my weekly update on the subject that came up several weeks ago) (The pic comes from Fandango and his Flash Fiction Challenge, except I'm not writing fiction -- or am I?) photo from Nicolae_Balt at Pixabay.com. Conflict: See that balloon? The conflict comes from the character … Continue reading Conflict, suspense, and tension
Just so you know …
I'm taking a little nap from the site for a while. Back in May, 2021, unless I catch too many mice in my dreams. What I'm doing, in reality, is editing and writing and editing and writing and editing and writing ... I'll be back ...
Being True to Character
In a professional sense, this time. Something I've noticed recently is the lack of professional attitude in story characters. It's disappointing, even if I understand how much work goes into the story. The character can't be identifiable by a reader as a fraud, out of place/time, or using the wrong objects/words. A priest doesn't walk … Continue reading Being True to Character
The Moaning Ritual
Sorry, the Morning ritual. It's the time of day when the sun don't shine, the eyes don't open, the coffee is floating an aroma around the house. Two minutes. Then it will be coffee in hand, eyes open, bum on seat. Then I remember all the other stuff that happens without brain engagement. It's the … Continue reading The Moaning Ritual
Place and Time
Otherwise known as Setting. It's one of the [many] things I struggle with. The basics of an opening to a story needs to make clear the Who is Where and When, Why they're there (maybe just a hint), and What they're doing. This post is about the Where and When of a story. The place … Continue reading Place and Time
Summary Tell, or Interactive Show?
It's that old conundrum of show versus tell. Every story has summary, every story has immediacy, but they don't usually end up in the same paragraph. There are reasons for that. A tell is summarising something, a conclusion made, or an unmoving description (static, unattached to a character). There are several ways to tell. Summarising … Continue reading Summary Tell, or Interactive Show?
Cage Dunn - Fibber, Fabricator, Teller-of-Tall-Tales 