Reality is a lion, crouching patiently in the tall grass. Others pantomime their fantasies declaring, “I am a rhinoceros” or “I am an elephant, the lion cannot hurt me!” Since they are in fact gazelles they will, in their defiant arrogance, strut too close to the tall grass. Despite their posturing they then become lion-lunch.
Tag Archives: writing
The Importanceof Word Order
There is a meme going around that illustrates the power of word placement very well: place the word “only” anywhere in the sentence and see how the meaning changes, yet it remains a proper sentence. I won’t go through all of them, but let’s look at a few. Only she told him that she loved […]
For My Fellow Lexophiles (Lovers Of Words):
The following plays on words (puns) have been around the internet for some time. I cannot claim any of them as original (mine), only collected here for your enjoyment. A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired. A will is a dead giveaway. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. […]
Brain Spill: Bernie’s Encounter
In my interview with Sonia Rumzi I mentioned that I produce snippets of dialogue or stories as a mind stretching exercise, I call this a brain spill, and that I keep these snippets as seed-stock for future story ideas. Some have asked for a peek into my Pandora’s Box of story snippets. The following is […]
Sci-Fi Sample: Tale of the Draggon
The following is chapter one from a book I wrote in 1984. It is part of a trilogy. The publishing houses refused it back then. After wall-papering my office with rejection slips (it was a small office) I packed it up, tucked it away and forgot about it. A recent decluttering brought it to light […]
Using an Unreliable Narrator
It is said that there are three sides to every divorce: his side, her side, and the truth. This colloquialism alludes to the fact that people will slant their narration of events to suit their own perspective. Really, it goes beyond that because there are times when a participant in an event is not just […]
Dialing Up Your Dialogue
A good way to draw your reader deeply into your story is to use a variety of non-verbal cues in your dialogue. Try the following techniques to dial up your dialogue. Facial Expressions When a character raises an eyebrow or furrows his brow, this action gives the reader an additional clue beyond dialogue that indicates […]
The Writing Process
There is a process that occurs in all forms of writing. Like many things in life, taking each step in it’s turn speeds the work and improves the outcome. Understanding that process can help you do better work, faster, and enjoy the process more. Conceptualizing This is “getting an idea”. It may come from something […]
Passive Voice and Active Voice in Your Writing
A variety of writing styles are available to you as a writer/author. At one end of the scale is the literary style that tends to ramble along, painting pictures with words chosen more for their emotional impact than their grammatical efficiency. At the other end is the hard-hitting journalistic style designed to convey information quickly […]
Crafting Conflict In Your Stories
Any writer knows that conflict is necessary in a story to keep a reader engaged. But what is conflict and how is it created, met, and overcome? The answers to these questions have a lot to do with how well received your stories will be. What Conflict Is Not Violence. Crafting blood-spattered scenes of opposing […]