Sports: Passionate characters

Sports books are action-oriented, fast-paced and full of memorable characters; but the core of a sports book–fiction or non-fiction–is people. Characters make sports interesting. Granted, these characters are constantly on the move and not inclined to deep musings about life. Yet, it is the character interacting with the unique aspects of a sports novel that [...]

Strengthen Your Villain

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberYour villain can be strengthened in several ways. Wait. Do you HAVE a villain, don’t you?
Do you need a villain?
One question I often hear is, “Do I really need an antagonist/villain” Usually, these writers have the main character struggling against something like a [...]

Villains to Imitate

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberGreat Villains to Study and Imitate
Harpercollins editor Susan Rich’s favorite villain are those in Roald Dahl’s stories. “I have great admiration for Roald Dahl’s villains. Farmer Boggis, Farmer Bounce, and Farmer Bean come to mind, the evil trio in Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. [...]

Villains Don’t Always Wear Black

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Villains to RememberEvil is live spelled backwards. The protagonist of a novel represents life; the villain, anti-life. How do you develop, strengthen and revise this important character?

Count Olaf as the Ultimate Villainous Character
Harpercollins editor Susan Rich, who edited the Lemony Snicket series of fiction [...]

My Character’s Whispering Secrets

Shh! Don’t tell anyone else, but my character just told me a secret.
Great Way to Find Unusual Secrets
One common complaint about a first draft is that the characterization needs to be deeper. In Sol Stein’s book, Stein on Writing, Chapter 16 talks about the secret snapshot technique. Stein recommends that you think about [...]

Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise

After eight years teaching the Novel Revision retreat across the nation, I’m pleased to announce that the workbook developed for that retreat is now available!
Here’s the full details of the book.
Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise

Foreword by Kirby Larson

ISBN: 978-0-9798621-0-6
Pub. Date: April 2, 2008
Retail Price: $18.00
Pages: 124
Trim Size: 7.5 x 9.25
Backmatter: Appendix, Index
Mims House, [...]

My 2008 Schedule

Here’s a current schedule of my speaking. It may change at any time, because I’m in discussion with a couple people about other events.

February 4 Ft. Smith Public Library, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Children’s program.
February 5 Mountain Home Public Library, Mountain Home, Arkansas. Children’s Program with book signing and [...]

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

When you write something as long as a novel, how do you make sure the character stays in character? When you revise, there are several ways to check.
Creating Consistent Characters

Create a Bible for your character. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but have one file, or a couple note cards that list characteristics. [...]

5 Questions about First Person POV

First person point of view stories are introspective, selfish, all about me, me, me. Before you write or revise a novel using this POV, you should ask youself a couple questions.
It’s All About Me, Me, Me.

Main Character or Observer. Is the POV character the main character or an observer? Often it’s [...]

The Versatile Point of View

When you write a novel, or revise a novel, the default point-of-view and the most common used is third person. (Though, first person point of view is giving it a run for its money these days. )
The Versatile Point of View
Think about point of view as a camera. In the 3rd person [...]