There’s something magic in cracking the cover on a brand new book—for you Kindle folks make that tapping a finger. Books become our best friends, trusted advisors, time machines and tickets to better places and times. Some of us are so in love with the whole book thing that we actually want to write one. Or, a few. Or, a few hundred. Enter the Florida Writers Conference. For a few days in October, we book lovers and would-be writers get to “crack the … Read More »

Backstory is such a juicy element of story, it’s too bad it’s got such a bad rap. Sure, it can fill a plot hole, juice up a reveal, give us an “aha!” moment. Think of Faye Dunaway in Chinatown, “She’s my daughter, she’s my sister, she’s my daughter and my sister.” A single line of dialogue that changes everything. A great backstory, including that one, presents us with the heart of the matter. We know that having a big opening can grab our … Read More »