Archives for February 2012

Writing Lesson 3.24 – The Curse of the Thirty-Pound Sword

You see it all the time in stories … the hero has a sword so awesomely big (hey, he got those muscles somewhere, didn’t he?) that the heroine can barely lift it. I even wrote one such sword into my own story … “If you are Lady of this kingdom, then I would be your […]

Writing Lesson 3.23_ Beginning with Theme in Mind

I recently viewed a movie with a refreshingly brilliant script. Sadly I can’t recommend the movie by title because Hollywood felt compelled to add explicit scenes, but let me see if I can describe why the movie impressed me. The writer began with the theme in mind: “Communication is more about understanding each others’ hearts […]

Writing Lesson 3.22_Verbs That Leap, Love, or . . . Lose

Verbs, verbs, verbs. Get used to it, because now that you’re a writer, you’ll hear about them often and be told again and again to make them stronger. What in the world is a stronger verb anyway? It’s one that leaps into a reader’s visualization of a scene. It shows love or pain in such […]

Writing Lesson 3.21_Remodeling Your Story Through the Editing Process

About thirty years ago this ceiling fan was a lovely addition to this old home. It’s not exactly what I’d choose for my new kitchen, but my husband saw great potential in this find and salvaged it before they demolished the house. So what does this have to do with writing? This old fan is […]