The Craft of Writing: Lexical Density and You
According to the study, Success with Style: Using Writing Style to Predict the Success of Novels, by Stony Brook University’s Vikas Gajingunte Ashok, Song Feng, and Yejin Choi, whether or not a book will sell can be determined by several quantifiable factors. The researchers downloaded classic literature from the...
Cover Reveal: Forced Labor-Book 1–Arekan’s War
Now on Amazon. Arekan leads a hardscrabble and solitary life as a hired blade for whatever merchant space vessel that will take him. The problem with twenty-two year old Arekan is that he causes trouble wherever he goes, enough so that he uses variety of aliases. Fired by his...
Chuck Wendig’s Synopsis Challenge
We all have to do them sometimes. The synopsis, the story outline, plus some, that an agent or publisher or heaven’s forbid, a work for hire buyer, will demand. Chuck in his doubtful wisdom has demanded, with threat of bug zapping violence, that we produce them for our NaNo...
Scrivener’s Shot Gun Wedding With Pro-Writing Aid
My most useful writing tools are Scrivener and Pro-Writing Aid. Most writers have heard of Scrivener, a powerful word processing program that orders and organizes the screaming voices in your writer’s head, helping you to pump out your stories. There are too many features in this program to write...
Scrivener’s Shot Gun Wedding With Pro-Writing Aid
My most useful writing tools are Scrivener and Pro-Writing Aid. Most writers have heard of Scrivener, a powerful word processing program that orders and organizes the screaming voices in your writer’s head, helping you to pump out your stories. There are too many features in this program to write...
The Art of #Writing: How To Finish a Book
Now, not to disparage those writers that have spent the last four decades polishing their magnum opus, but there comes a time to finish a book. Like a relationship gone bad, it’s a bit ripe and it’s time to move on already. Aren’t there other stories you want to...
The Craft of Writing: One Story Telling Error in The Water Diviner
Recently, I shuffled out of my writer’s cave and went with a friend to see Russell Crowe’s debut directorial effort, The Water Diviner. The critics are split on how well he did: It’s clear that Russell Crowe has poured his heart and soul into the historical romance The Water...
The Craft of Writing: One Story Telling Error in The Water Diviner
Recently, I shuffled out of my writer’s cave and went with a friend to see Russell Crowe’s debut directorial effort, The Water Diviner. The critics are split on how well he did: It’s clear that Russell Crowe has poured his heart and soul into the historical romance The Water...
Flash Fiction Challenge: Ten Random Sentences
Chuck Wending’s flash fiction challenge was to pick one of ten random sentences and write a story incorporating it. The sentences were great and it was hard to chose one. “The mysterious diary records the voice.” “The stranger officiates the meal.” “The shooter says goodbye to his love.” “A...
Book Review: Strange Magic–A Yancy Lazarus Tale
Note: Strange Magic was given to me by the author as an Advance Release Copy in exchange for an honest review. Yancy Lazarus is having a bad day: there’s a bullet lodged in his butt cheek, his face looks like the site of a demolition derby, and he’s been...