Tim Downs's Blog, page 6

Cast the Movie

Readers have often told me, "I can really see your book as a movie." Sorry, no film deals are in the works just yet--but why should we have to wait for Hollywood to start having fun? Let's cast the movie now.

Each of my novels has its own cast of characters, and I have my own mental image of what each of them looks like--it helps me to imagine them as I write. But you may have noticed that I don't include a lot of physical description of most of my characters. It's a lesson I learned from...

Moments with Nick

Many of you have concluded your comments with the wish that I would write books faster. If you can't get enough of Nick Polchak and you'd like a little something to tide you over between meals, then you need to know about something I make available on the home page of my website. I call it Moments with Nick: Weekly Words of Inspiration from Everyone's Favorite Wiseguy.

Every Monday morning I send out an email blast containing an excerpt of dialogue between Nick and another character from one o...

When Did You Know?

SPOILER ALERT! THIS COMMENT DISCUSSES THE SURPRISE ENDING OF ENDS OF THE EARTH! READER BEWARE!
This whole discussion about the cliffhanger ending of Ends of the Earth seems like a study in psychology to me. Why do people vote the way they do? Do men, on average, vote differently than women? Why do some people seem to feel so passionately about their decisions? In my last post I posed the question, "Do women have a greater need for closure than men?" In this post I'd like to throw in yet...

Men, Women…and Closure

SPOILER ALERT! THIS POST DISCUSSES THE SURPRISE ENDING OF ENDS OF THE EARTH! READER BEWARE!
It's clear from the comments being posted that you readers have strong opinions about the way you want my novel Ends of the Earth to end, and it's fun (at least for me) to read well-reasoned arguments on both sides. I can't resist making a few observations of my own—not about the ending of the book, but what the comments seem to suggest about a difference between men and women...

Larry G. asked in his...

Can't Make Up Your Mind? Neither Can I.

SPOILER ALERT! THIS POST DISCUSSES THE SURPRISE ENDING OF ENDS OF THE EARTH! READER BEWARE!

The official release date for Ends of the Earth isn't until tomorrow, but comments are already coming in about the surprise ending and the way the story should be resolved. It only seems fair that I should get to take part in this debate, so I thought I'd fuel the fire by throwing in a few comments of my own...

Okay, go ahead and say it: "What do you mean, 'take part in this debate'? You already know...

The Controversial Ending to Ends of the Earth

If you've had the chance to read my latest novel all the way through to the end, you might be a little upset with me right now. I can't say I blame you; after all, I took you on a three-hundred-and-fifty page thrill ride only to leave your car dangling over the edge of a cliff. "He can't do this to me," you might be saying to yourself right now, and maybe you've come to this blog site hoping to tell me so.

I knew the ending would be controversial. In fact, my editor advised me not to do it at ...

It's Not About the Bugs

I recently did a web interview made up entirely of questions submitted by my readers. (If you're interested, by the way, you can listen to that interview at http://bit.ly/i4hQz). I received some unusual questions, but there was one question I seem to get in every interview I do…

"How did you get so interested in bugs?"

I'm not interested in bugs. I'm interested in people.

Stories are always about people—good stories, anyway. It's a simple fact of human nature that people are interested in...

Does Anybody Read Books Anymore?

Some social commentators mourn the loss of literacy in our culture. "People don't read books anymore—they're too busy sending tweets and posting comments." Others point out that social media like Twitter and Facebook are an indicator that people are reading more than ever—they're just reading different things.

There are even hopeful indicators that people are still reading books, like the fact that today more Americans hold library cards than ever before. That fact tells me what writers know a...

Welcome to my blog site!

I get asked a lot of questions about my writing: how I choose my subject matter, how I do research, how a story forms in my mind, whether I'm certifiably insane or whether it's just a hobby... I'm hoping this blog will give me a chance to answer some of those questions and that it will give my readers a place to share their own opinions about whatever comes to mind. Is anybody out there in the blogoshpere? Post a comment and let us hear from you!