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So, I finished Along Came a Spider, which I enjoyed very much. It wasn’t my favorite book ever, but it was by no means the Hacksville one might have expected after hearing how other mystery writers talk about James Patterson. One of the things that really makes it work is the trail of tension Patterson…

I’ve decided that, much as I want to, I simply can’t read exclusively research materials while I’m working on my book. I tried to do it, but that’s just not how I roll. I’m going to have to read some fiction. So I decided to mix in some Breakout Novels: books that were such a…

So, Mark read the book, and I can tell you there is just about no better feeling than hearing the love of your life laugh out loud while he’s reading your stuff. … Laugh at the funny parts, I mean.

There’s a scene during the (wildly disappointing) final season of the Sopranos that sticks with me. Christopher, a recovering drug addict, is dating another addict who he met in rehab. They have fallen off the wagon together, and are sitting around her living room, doped out of their minds. Christopher turns to her and says,…

So, to lead myself through the endless quagmire that is Making-A-Sensible-Plot-Out-Of-All-My-Ideas, I’ve created a Master Excel file. In it, each scene has a name, along with a word count, plot summary, and notes on possible revisions. One of the fun parts is trying to think of names for the scenes: names that are evocative enough…

I recently read Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, along with its companion workbook. I actually liked the workbook better. It had a lot of good exercises, although be warned: they’re not easy. Basically what really appeals to me about this book is its incredibly high standards. Your character must be not just good,…

So, I’m a little over halfway done with the book… 43,000 words. I feel like it’s missing something, though, so I’m taking a week off from writing to (1) let some ideas marinate and (2) let Mark finish reading the thing, so I have someone to talk to about the plot. I really needed to…

Well, I’m halfway there. I’ve reached the 2nd major plot point in my book, and it happened at about 35,000 words, which is nearly ideal. I think there’s some tinkering yet to do, but things are really accelerating now. I’m beginning the planning for Arc III, which will go from the mid-point to (nearly) the…

Yesterday we had a big storm, and a limb broke off a tree and landed in our driveway. The thing is huge! I’m feeling so lucky; fifteen feet over and I’d be calling roofers right about now.

People say TV is bad for you, but for a writer, a good long lounge fest every day might not be the worst thing in the world. You can’t learn about prose from watching television and movies, but you can learn about a lot of other things that are important to storytelling: pacing, tension, character,…