Occasionally, you’ll read a short story or novel in which the point of view is not that of the principal character. This might strike you as odd. If the story tells of Blustery Bob the Protagonist, why wouldn’t the author have us follow Blustery Bob in first person or his third person subjective viewpoint? Why do we get the story from the viewpoint of Sidekick Sam? If the writer knows her stuff, she made an intentional and correct choice. When … Read More »

Since Oprah started her book club years back, the growth of book clubs has exploded. Some five million Americans gather regularly in face-to-face book clubs. Among American women who read one book or more a month, an astonishing 56% belong to book clubs. Tens of millions more join discussions in online book clubs, and the number grows daily. Online clubs now offer exact focuses. Dieselpunk science fiction, paranormal romance, gardening, you name it, it’s out there. A few years ago, … Read More »

Writers need to read. Extensively. Across genres and styles, preferably, and absolutely within the genres in which they write. Each genre owns its identifiable classics. In mystery fiction, great examples abound. Let’s look at seven that should be on everyone’s reading list. 1. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe This is the only short story in the list, but it rates at least as importantly as the novels, for the simple reason that it launched … Read More »

You read a book or see a movie, set in our own time, in a setting with which you’re quite familiar, one populated by fully realized, complex characters. After finishing it, you think, “Well, that was unbelievable.” Then you read something far removed from anything in our experiences or our history. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for example. Filled with hobbits, orcs, flying dragons, walking and talking trees, wizards, elves, and magic. You finish it, and think, “Wow, loved … Read More »

When we write dialogue in a first draft, most of us try and make it sound informal and natural. Conversational, because it’s supposed to represent a conversation. But not too conversational, of course. If you transcribed verbatim almost any real conversation you hear in a day, you’ll read it back and realize it sounds much like incoherent blather. So you attempt a better version of the real thing. When revising dialogue, though, I find myself cutting and cutting, trying to … Read More »

The cool October embraces, and most of us—if we’re being honest—are drawn to the scary things as Halloween looms. Stories of darkness and horror whisper to us, in movies, television, graphic arts, and literature. Lovers of the literary, do not despair! Chills and frights are not all about slashers and gore. Illustrious writers from Shakespeare to Faulkner to Levin have dabbled in the macabre. It’s okay to be scared. But we don’t turn to the great authors for buckets of … Read More »