Writing

I’m fascinated by the process of writing, publishing and marketing books. I’ve been honored to work with several aspiring authors as amateur editor, reviewer and/or sounding board.

You can follow my Goodreads reviews, here.

Occasionally, I try to improve my active reading skills by exploring aspects of writing that elevate books beyond the ordinary. Let me know what you think.

Creating Tension with First-Person Narrators

WHEN YOUR STORY is written in the first person, the general rule is that the narrator can only tell the reader what the narrator (the “I” in a first-person narrative) thinks, feels, sees, hears, and knows. The narrator is one character, and cannot know what another character is thinking or hiding, or the real reasons another character acted or spoke as they did. So, how does an author create narrative tension using a first-person narrator? [Read more…]

Narrative Voice

IN THE SIMPLEST example, recall gathering around a campfire as a child, telling ghost stories. The plots of the stories have been known for generations. But sitting around the crackling fire, one person speaks and tells the story. They revel in the gore, they stretch out the suspense, they pause, they distract, and then they strike! We all fall out shrieking and shivering… because of the narrator’s (the story teller’s) voice. [Read more…]