I give a lecture on occasion on building suspense in fiction, and touch briefly on applying techniques of fictional suspense to nonfiction. Characters, motivation, surprise, conflict, pacing … the same building blocks that bring fiction to life can also electrify nonfiction. If you break down nonfiction bestsellers you’ll find this true. Fabulous examples abound. The Lost City of Z (2009) by David Grann. Dead Wake (2015) by Erik Larson. In the Heart of the Sea (2000), by Nathaniel Philbrick. Let’s … Read More »

I have a friend who is not a fan of historical fiction (and yes, we’re still friends). She describes them as “those books about kings and queens.” That made me start to think about who makes the best protagonist for historical fiction: is it a real, factual person—who will generally be a public person, or someone in sufficient prominence to have left a record—or an everyday person, probably spun from the imagination? Perhaps there is no better or worse here, … Read More »

Prescriptive grammar attempts to define how a language should be used. It’s important and necessary, because it maintains a touchstone that keeps language from diversifying too widely. Without it, eventually we might no longer understand each other’s speech or writing. Schools teach prescriptive grammar, giving us all a common standard of usage. Descriptive grammar reflects how people actually speak and write, in practice. Real people in casual situations say “ain’t” and “gonna,” and put sentences together in a different order … Read More »

How do we write about music? This is a form of what the ancient Greeks called ekphrasis: the description of one art in another. Not all of us are musicians, but nearly everyone likes one kind of music or another. It brings something wonderful to our lives, punctuates our memories, stirs our emotions. And when I think back upon some of the most life-changing books I’ve read (Homer’s Odyssey and the Sirens’ song, anyone?), the magic of music played a … Read More »

Bill Dougherty isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and do whatever it takes to create a successful screenplay. Years of learning craft? Check. Intense study of industry standards? You bet. Dive deep into research to get every detail right? Done. He’s written fourteen novels and eleven screenplays and continues to hone his craft with each one. In this week’s RPLA Showcase, Bill Dougherty, First Place winner for Unpublished Screenplay, shares the importance of themes in screenplays and how he … Read More »

Currently, stronger synonyms for said are out of fashion. A century or more ago, writers stretched for synonyms for said: asseverated, averred, conveyed, voiced, uttered, proclaimed … and it became distracting, even ridiculous. The current enthusiasm for just plain … may be a reaction against that excess. On the other hand, the quality of the speaker’s voice can sometimes be important information for the reader, adding texture and nuance, and conveying the character’s mood or emotion. “Over my dead body,” … Read More »