Monday Motivation: The writer as voyeur
“I’m in London in a hotel listening to a couple behind me about to embark on an affair. It’s very exciting. I noted him putting his wedding ring in his […]
Monday Motivation: The solution to a milquetoast story
For obvious reasons, we usually spend a great deal of time thinking about the protagonist of our stories. He or she is unambiguously our Hero. But we don’t spend as […]
Monday Motivation: People watching in Venice
Writers observe. Their observations serve as the foundations on which characters are built and stories developed. We’re in Venice at the moment on our annual retreat – rudely interrupted by […]
Monday Motivation: Ten steps to a compelling character
Once in a while, when I have the time, I allow myself the luxury of writing an extremely abbreviated Monday Motivation. I was trawling through old notes of mine and […]
Monday Motivation: An eternal question: plot or characters?
Whatever creative narrative you’re writing, the challenge is to establish a balance between character and story. Readers are happy if the writer uses story simply as the washing line on […]
Monday Motivation: A good list is worth a thousand words
The significant detail can usually nail a description, or pierce to the essence of a character. Think of the sentence from a Guy de Maupassant story: “He was a gentleman […]
Monday Motivation: Embrace it: you’re a sadist and a masochist
I bet you’re a kind and compassionate person. You might not be an animal lover, but you’d never be wantonly cruel to a mutt. You don’t taunt homeless people as […]
