Creative, curious writing
Choosing character names is complex. They shape our perceptions and expectations. Would Geoff have been as iconic as Frodo? Names paint a picture of age, personality, and even the era. So, yes, names matter, but maybe not in the way we obsess over them.
The author faces a dilemma of balancing fact and fiction in their sci-fi writing. They acknowledge the importance of scientific accuracy but realize it shouldn't overshadow the storytelling. By heeding advice to reduce factual overload, they strive to create a more engaging and balanced fictional world while trusting readers' imagination.
A friend of mine once asked how I came up with the ideas for my stories. That's a hard question to answer because at least for me, I am always thinking about how the 'thing I am doing now' might work in a story. Take my visit to the Cute exhibition earlier this year. This... Continue Reading →
World building is a double-edged sword. You need to make it believable but don't want to get lost in the detail. You also need to make it a place that your reader wants to explore without losing them in the darkened alleyways. Recently, as my work has progressed, I have found myself lost in the... Continue Reading →
Hello. It's been a while but I am trying to get back to doing what I love so bear with me as I resharpen my pencils. In my previous post, I talked about talking to myself. Now let's talk about you. Or at least 'you', if you were me, talking to you. Patterns, rhythms, accents... Continue Reading →
It's been a tough couple of weeks; well, OK a month and a bit. I had an overload and then couldn't restart in any meaningful way. Everything I wrote, I scrapped and then for a few weeks couldn't write anything at all. I had so much to write. The next assignment for my MA, the... Continue Reading →
Derived from Greek, dia(through) + logos(words), the spoken word within your story is critical if readers are to engage in a meaningful way. It somehow has to be true to the tone and style of your story, completely authentic for your character but also move the story along without screaming "Hey look at me, I'm... Continue Reading →
But when you're a writer, where exactly is the beginning? We must start where the story begins (even if it that's not really where it began) and help our readers move forwards through the narrative (even if they have to go backwards). In this way the opening is like the first impression when you meet... Continue Reading →
Chat GPT. I know, I know but stay with me. Depending on when you're reading this we may still be in the middle of our own existential crisis or, perhaps, robots will have taken over the world using information that we have given them freely. Hard to know. The internet will tell you (so it... Continue Reading →
This week, I am going to talk about time. Which is relative because your 'this week' may not be my 'this week'. I'm not talking about time-travel although in essence all stories, unless they happen in an instant, do travel through time. No, this is about how time is represented in fiction and how, as... Continue Reading →
The Curious Wordsmith 