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Words for Tomorrow: April 2006
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Thursday, April 06, 2006. Ally and Trypp (A plot outline) (Warning: This is a dark story.). The barbarians move across the SatEye. Momi’s soft palms hold my wet cheeks “Close your eyes. That’s little Threo’s dome.”. I shut my eyes as the dome bursts. She’s only in fifth grade, but we are in the same ballet class. Threo holds here legs so straight her knees just disappear. The barbs swarm. Through the smoke, I can see dolls and tutus burning, melting, and making more black smoke. Fire sprays over the fift...
words42morrow.blogspot.com
Words for Tomorrow: October 2008
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008. Short Story: Draft Notice (Adult theme and language). Sayraa’s mother glides a finger over each nail, as if to check the manicure. With her hands obscuring of her face, she addresses Sayraa. “Congratulations, you’re a mother. The miracle of life blossoms inside you.”. For a moment she sees soft hills of golden poppies, but the idyllic scene decays into bare rock and parched skeletons. 8220;Mama, I was raped! 8220;Be careful of my books.”. 8220;Put me down! She heard a man shout.
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Words for Tomorrow: August 2006
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Saturday, August 26, 2006. Like any Santa Monica High School boy sitting next to Maria Theresa, Norman debates his chances. Without looking at her short black skirt or the bra straps visible through U2 tee shirt, he knows her sandal dangles from a perfectly painted toe. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and consumes her sweet fragrance, not sure whether it comes from shampoo, cologne, or just her natural beauty. The odds aren’t good. 8221; or “Are you going to the dance? Before her long hair settl...
advice4writers.blogspot.com
Advice for Writers: What to do with particularly fine passages
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These are my collected musings on the art of writing fiction. Monday, August 31, 2009. What to do with particularly fine passages. Read over your compositions, and where ever you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out. A Book for Today: Samuel Johnson by Jeffrey Meyers. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). What to do with particularly fine passages. A Book for Today. Grunt by Mary Roach * *. Short Story: Draft Notice (Adult theme and language). It's a Science Experiment.
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Words for Tomorrow: June 2006
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Sunday, June 11, 2006. I took out my Strathmore sketchpad and a Prang charcoal pencil. I made two sketches of the victim. Three triangular shards of glass pierced his face, one, right through his iris spread, his left eye unnaturally wide open, another barely held on to his lower lip like a stylized joint, and the third made his check, smooth and beardless, look like a torte glazed with chocolate, drizzled with cherry sauce and garnished with a crystal wafer. 8220;Slow down guys! 8220;Give us a break.
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Words for Tomorrow: January 2006
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Sunday, January 29, 2006. Rainbo Streeter – A Foster Child in High School – Part 2. Duck, where have you been? 8220;I’m dropping out. My mom doesn’t like cops parked outside every night.”. Sophie laughs, “And since when do you care about your foster mom? Duck grabs a shopping cart from behind Mrs. Jackson’s blackberries. The cart is full of rags, a yellow plastic bucket, an orange sponge mop and boxes of cleaner. 8220;See, I’m a business person. I have my own houses to clean.”. Why’d you do that? I’...
advice4writers.blogspot.com
Advice for Writers: September 2008
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These are my collected musings on the art of writing fiction. Saturday, September 27, 2008. Four Plot Types (from Orson Scott Card). There four types of stories or plots. This story is most concerned with places visited. The story begins when the trip begins and end when the traveler returns home. Think of The Odyssey. The story is about the Sirens and the Cyclops - strange inhabitants of strange places. A fifth plot structure used by beginning writers is the Meta Mystery/Puzzle Story. This story is most...
advice4writers.blogspot.com
Advice for Writers: July 2009
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These are my collected musings on the art of writing fiction. Wednesday, July 29, 2009. How To Write in Active Voice. For new writers includes the admonition to: Use Active Voice. This advice basically calls for replacing He was happy with his present. With His present made him happy. However, much of this advice stops here without clear instructions showing what habits to develop to avoid passive voice. Sentence. Skilled writers naturally employ a variety of subjects. Became a leap, air and light. Is li...
advice4writers.blogspot.com
Advice for Writers: August 2008
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These are my collected musings on the art of writing fiction. Friday, August 29, 2008. Writing: Show or Tell? Show, don't tell. This is the most common advice given to new writers. The is terrible advice. For example, two excellent thrillers I recently read. And The Secret Servant. Happily disregard this sage advice. The proper advice is Show or Tell. Here is an example from classic Elmer Gantry. A year he spent in Rudd Center, three years in Vulcan, and two years in Sparta. This is the power of telling!
