Posted in Writing, tagged creative writing, editing, heroic couplets, novel writing, sentence structure and rhythm, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 06 Feb 2014| Leave a Comment »
I do not care for the heroic couplet.
daDa-daDa-daDa-daDa-daDee,
daDa-daDa-daDa-daDa-daDee.
It’s fine for a short poem or sonnet, but when you stack one atop the other for stanza after stanza, it gets predictable, monotonous, and boring. It’s why A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my least favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, as a huge portion of it is written in heroic couplets.
What does this have to do with writing prose? Plenty.
Posted in Writing, tagged creative writing, editing, odd words, Reading, Writing on 17 Jan 2014| 8 Comments »
It’s happened to us all. That moment when a word–a perfectly innocuous, everyday word–suddenly looks weird.
It happened to me the other day. The word was “dirt.” I wrote it down and suddenly it looked misspelled. I stared at it. I tried “durt,” but that was even worse. Dirt. Dirt.
Dirt.
Oddly, when I wrote “dirty,” that looked okay, but “dirt” still looked…wrong. Truncated. Too tall. Too narrow.
Last year, I had a similar episode with the word “schedule.” We haven’t gotten along, since.
Thankfully, these episodes are transitory. Eventually, usually within an hour, the word loses its alien quality and becomes once more a regular, banal word from my daily lexicon.
Except, that is, for the “odd ducks.” (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged beta reader, beta readers, editing, novel writing, self-publishing, ten year run, todd baker, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 14 Jan 2014| 1 Comment »
If you don’t have one, you need one. In fact, you need several.
I’m talking about beta readers, those folks you lure/ wheedle/ cajole/ beg/ entrap into reading your baby, promising them anything from sex to chocolate to whisky—for the record, that last one is the coin of my realm—in order to get their input, their take, their particular and specific impressions.
This weekend, I received the draft copy of a new memoir from the talented, wry, and always engaging Todd Baker, whose first book, Ten Year Run: A Marathoning Memoir, I was lucky enough to beta-read. His new work, about his lifelong love of heavy metal music, promises to be a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention a good dose of humor in a difficult time.
I’m lucky, also, in that Todd is one of my beta readers. (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged Characters, creative writing, editing, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Unraveling Time, Writing on 29 Oct 2013| 4 Comments »
In retrospect, yesterday’s post was a bad idea and very out of character. I had misgivings and hesitated before posting, but I ascribed those feelings to being “brave” and maybe even a bit “edgy” with my choice of topic.
Nope. Instead, it came across as a petulant, whinge-filled pity-fest served with a big side of “Buy my book and tell me it’s grand.”
Ew…and therefore…my apologies. That was not what I wanted to say, and that is not what I want this blog to be about.
Here’s what I want to say, instead. (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged Characters, creative writing, editing, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Unraveling Time, Writing on 28 Oct 2013| 9 Comments »
I’m biased. There. I said it.
I’m biased, in that I like the books I’ve written. I can’t help it. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to get through the writing part of being a novelist without liking the books I write. Writing a book I didn’t like? Not gonna happen.
So, I’m biased, and that’s unfortunate, because it makes it impossible for me to understand why Unraveling Time didn’t sell.
And I want to know.
Seriously. I want to have an honest, open conversation about why this book didn’t sell. (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged Characters, creative writing, Dreams of the Desert Wind, editing, Fallen Cloud Saga, novel writing, novels, Ploughman Chronicles, Unraveling Time, Writing on 24 Oct 2013| Leave a Comment »
I’m always curious, when readers leave comments about my books, as to which of my novels is their favorite and why.
The answers are always varied. Sometimes it’s the subject matter, the period, or the setting. For others, it’s the characters who populate the pages. Occasionally, it’s just je ne sais quoi, that certain “something” that resonates with a particular reader.
Recently, though, the question was turned around; someone asked me what my favorite was. (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged ABC, creative writing, editing, ghost writer, novels, Richard Castle, Tom Straw, Writing on 15 Oct 2013| Leave a Comment »
You all know I’m a Browncoat and a fan of “Castle,” as well. I may have also mentioned that one of my guilty pleasures is reading the “Richard Castle Mysteries,” the series of novels ghost written under the Richard Castle nom de plume.
I’m generally not a fan of mystery novels. I find them too formulaic and (frankly) unbelievable. I admit, I went through a Nero Wolfe phase in my youth, scarfing up every dog-eared Rex Stout paperback I could find, but I recovered. These days, the only ones I can read are police procedurals because, let’s face it, who’s more likely to come into contact with murders and murderers time after time: an old pensioner from Sussex, or a homicide detective?
I’ve read all the Nikki Heat books, and am reading Deadly Heat now. Part of my enjoyment of these books is the conceit; I’m reading a book “written” by a fictional character, a book that is mentioned in the TV series, and which often debuts on bookshelves on the same night it debuts on the television show. The book mimics action played out during the previous season in the TV show, as if it were really the product of this fictional character’s fictional life. And built within the book are characters and references to events that appear in the television show. It’s a wonderful gimmick that I really enjoy. Now, throw in a handful of “self-awareness” references, such as acknowledgments that thank not only characters from the show, but also (by first name only) actors who portray those characters. And then, to top it off, toss in a handful of really “meta” references, pointing back to “Firefly” and other works the actors have done outside the “Castle” world.
In all, it’s layers upon layers, fiction upon fiction, all with a wink and a nod to the real world and real life. (more…)
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 