Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Write a short story–with advice from the creator of Narnia by Jim Denney When we think of short stories, we think of names like Poe, Chekhov, and Hemingway. But can you name your favorite C. S. Lewis short story? Probably not. Lewis is famed and beloved for The Chronicles of Narnia, but few readers are […]
The author’s revision process can be a slog by Becca Puglisi Is there a better feeling in the world than finishing a manuscript? Typing The End, gazing lovingly at the overall word count, and recognizing you’ve accomplished something that not many people can do…you’re floating on cloud nine, and all is right with the world. […]
by Anne R. Allen The British TV series Morse, based on the mystery novels by Colin Dexter, won the “Best British Mystery Series of All Time” title in a Radio Times poll. A recent Facebook post about the win made me think about the admonition authors hear that novels must have likeable characters. Inspector Morse […]
by Ruth Harris Lists will make writing your book faster and easier — and bail you out when you get stuck. Lists. Grocery lists. Laundry lists. To do lists. Playlists. Witness lists Bucket lists. Wait lists Watch lists Lists run our lives. Lists keep us on track. Lists keep things simple. Lists make things clear. […]
by Anne R. Allen Mickey Spillane famously said “They read to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.” I can see the creative writing students rolling their eyes. Mickey Spillane wasn’t exactly a great prose stylist. But […]
You can plan your novel even if you’re a pantser by Beth Barany Even as an experienced novelist, I still need a roadmap to follow when I’m starting a new novel. When I was a beginner, I really needed a roadmap that worked for me. Which is why I created these tools, especially designed for […]
by Melodie Campbell This month, I will have the privilege of interviewing both Ian Rankin and Linwood Barclay, at separate conferences and festivals. Both are world-renowned crime writers (and wonderfully witty men besides.) As I read through their latest books in order to prepare for being the hostess with the mostess (naughty thoughts aside – […]
by Ruth Harris Why is cooking — often? usually? sometimes? — more appealing than writing? *Even if you’re only a halfway decent cook, just about everyone will eat and enjoy what you made — and tell you so. * If you’re only a halfway decent writer, no one will enjoy what you wrote — or will […]
by Anne R. Allen Secondary characters are often glossed over in popular fiction. They’re in the story to further the plot, and can sometimes devolve into broad stereotypes or cardboard cut-outs while the protagonist (and maybe love interest) dominate the story. You can avoid the problem if you think of the secondary characters as […]
by Ruth Harris How often should you water a cactus? What is the name of the president who came before Abraham Lincoln? How do you blow up a bridge? What’s so special about the Sydney opera house? What does SPECTRE stand for? In the course of writing a novel, a writer — one who will […]
The adversity cycle vs. the Hero’s Journey by Stefan Edmunds A Fresh Definition of Story I imagine that in the earliest days of storytelling, people took real-life adventures, like raiding a village, surviving a storm, or abducting a woman of another clan, and told the tale at the campfire. Over time, storytellers gilded real-life adventures […]
by Ruth Harris Here are Some Pro Tips And Tricks To Absolutely, Positively Raise Your Anemic R-Score. Are you embarrassed by your pathetic R-quotient? Do other writers sneer at your R-score? Has your pile of rejection letters stalled out? Have your R-levels been diagnosed as too low? Has too much time gone by since your […]
By Kathy Steinemann Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! Do you want to spice up the card you bought for your sweetheart? Maybe you’re writing a romance, and you need a few alternatives for love. People might say they love doughnuts, kittens, or coffee, but maybe they savor doughnuts, fawn over kittens, and crave coffee. Or perhaps […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris