Author | Editor | Story Coach
At the behest of my Jedi Master, Kristen Lamb, I’ve begun dog-earring a copy of Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. It’s a masterful guide for creating a strong, complex story. If you’re thinking, “I’ve got story structure down,” I thought similarly after highlighting James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure into rainbow-like proportions. Brooks subtitled his …
As a writer of fantasy, I read different fantasy novels. In doing so, I can experience the methods published writers use to build a world, breathe life into characters and weave a mesmerizing plot. Or I can read the books and criticize the lack of plot, weakness of character arc and believability of the fantastical …
There’s nothing new under the sun. This is actually a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 1:9. Hollywood isn’t the only clown in town that seems to think if something was a blockbuster, it should have a sequel. Books in a series are more popular than ever. In fact, I enjoy reading a series. After all, if I …
Some people have embarrassing moments. I tend to bypass those and move straight for the humiliating. As an example, imagine breaking down into tears in the middle of teaching a classroom full of teenagers. Embarrassment? I think even humiliation is a kind euphemism. The first time it happened to me was my first year as …
After completing Michael Grant’s Gone series, I began wondering why I’m drawn to dystopian novels over vampire stories or other types of science- fictional fantasy. I happily read Divergent and Insurgent during the summer of 2012 and will most likely buy a copy of the third book, releasing in August. Since it is sitting in …
Since I reviewed Moira Young’s first novel here, I thought I’d check in with readers about the sequel. The series is called Dust Lands and it looks like it will be a trilogy. The book starts from Jack’s point of view, which is a good choice on Young’s part. He’s said to “betray” Saba in …
Reading thrills me. Books invite me in, feed my linguistic genius and hold me hostage until the last page. It would be nice to be able to truly revel in the beautiful language Harper Lee uses in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I’ve got another novel (or three) to read before the month is out. …
Apparently, the sequel is out (and the teacher I work with has it), so I felt this might be the perfect time to review Moira Young’s debut young adult novel, Blood Red Road. Since it’s a dystopian novel, I volunteered to add it to my reading list – even though I didn’t really have extra …
Since I stumbled into C.S. Lewis’ Narnia in fifth grade, I have been a fan of reading fantasy novels. The more magical the place and characters, the more enthralled I am to enter their domain. Fortunately, I have a nephew who is more of a fantasy buff than I am. This keeps me supplied with …
While critics everywhere agree that Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular play, those same scholars find little to admire in the title character. He seems plagued by a “lack of will to act,” they say. While watching the 1996 Branagh version of Hamlet, I followed the text in my weighty textbook. A few additions (from another …