Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Anne R. Allen A blog reader asked me recently to address the question of description in fiction. How much is too much? How much is enough? And why are contemporary novels so devoid of physical character description? Is this a new rule — or is it lazy writing? The answer to all of […]
Personality disorders can create a distorted self-image. by Anne R. Allen. Most of the truly rotten villains in fiction are what used to be called “psychopaths.” (Now clinically known as people with ASPD: Anti-Social Personality Disorder.) These are people who have no conscience and no empathy. But psychopaths can make boring fiction. Psychopathic villains have […]
Memoir or Fiction? What’s best for telling your own story? by Anne R. Allen Some people say all writing is autobiographical, and to a certain extent that’s true. I always say writers ought to Mirandize everybody we meet — “I’m a novelist. Anything you say can be taken down and used against you in a […]
Fear of success: If you never publish, you can keep believing Midnight in Paris is a documentary. by Anne R. Allen What is “Publishing Success?” Our culture attaches all sorts of romantic ideas to the business of writing. Beginning writers tend to conjure up nostalgic writer fantasies like Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris reveries and ignore the boring […]
by Anne R. Allen We writers tend to get a tad delusional about our own work. Most of us know the average writer doesn’t make great money, but we secretly believe our own efforts will bring us fabulous fame and fortune. When we start out, we can’t help visualizing our books leapfrogging over all the […]
by Anne R. Allen My life continues to zoom along at warp speed. Mark Williams just told me that THE GATSBY GAME is up at Amazon this morning–a week ahead of schedule. It’s a book I had to write–one that’s been sitting in my head for decades. It’s based on the mysterious death of […]
