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Writing the Novel
Every once in a long while, [an] idea grows legs and runs away with me. It is usually sometime during this phase that I realize I'm in well into the writing of a novel. I've never actually decided to...
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The Return of the Letter
There's an overwhelming confessional urge in the written word. Whether we're good or bad people, we want to say what we really feel. We may be half a world apart, but when we tell something personal...
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Making Magic in Fiction
…there's a large body of literature concerning these sciences that make excellent source material for the budding writer/magicologist. I chose from these sources things that suited my fancy and came...
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Character and Narrative
The most compelling stories are those written about characters who either discover or recover their true nature and act according to its dictates. In fact, I think a convincing argument can be made...
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Writing Fiction is for Exhibitionists
We do bleed when we write. We bleed from our innermost being. All the personal, intimate experiences and thoughts go out from us onto the paper to make the characters we create come to life. It's the...
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The Being of the Word
Reality is what we tell ourselves it is. If evidence based reasoning were a minority point of view, would the Young Earthers be right? Could the world have been created by the uttering of a Word? The...
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Inspiration — What Sees Us Through
Terror keeps us writing, but it is inspiration that starts us on the road in the first place. The post Inspiration — What Sees Us Through appeared first on Alchemy of the Word. Related posts: Write...
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Journals for Fictionists
Most writers keep a journal simply to capture inspiration before it can get away. Re-reading, we mostly find that the idea slipped away, leaving a chalk outline on the page in its place. The post...
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Publishing Reversion Clauses | The Passive Voice
But wait, you say!!! (I can hear you.) Right there, in my contract, is a reversion clause that allows me, under certain conditions, to get my book transferred back to me so that I can get it back into...
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The Alien Psyche and Storytelling
A gesture that, from a human would be a invitation to sex, might indicate a deadly threat when coming from an alien. The psyche of other intelligent species is a minefield that the writer of...
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SEX! SEX! Are You Squirming Yet?
…for some reason, being called a pornographer and smut merchant isn't as fun as it was a year ago. I'm feeling almost physically assaulted, not because I've written erotica, but because I refuse to...
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Truth In Fiction(?)
Fiction is the truth inside the lie. Lie to me convincingly and I'll love your story. The post Truth In Fiction(?) appeared first on Alchemy of the Word. Related posts: Profanity in Fiction; or What...
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The Final Lesson: Writing is Hard
Writing is hard. Good writing is self-torture. The process is something we don't understand and the payoff is a feeling that we cannot articulate (which, being writers, embarrasses us). Writing is...
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