Cage Dunn's Blog, page 23

Nikky’s Interview …

is here. It’s a cool pic, and before the thing that happened last year (and my hair is very long now), ‘cos I’m not coming out of my cave until I’m sure that unwelcome visitor is away and gone for good. Or close enough. Anyway, I did an interview. Would you like to read it? … Continue reading Nikky’s Interview …

Summary Tell, or Interactive Show?

It’s that old conundrum of show versus tell. Every story has summary, every story has immediacy, but they don’t usually end up in the same paragraph. There are reasons for that. A tell is summarising something, a conclusion made, or an unmoving description (static, unattached to a character). There are several ways to tell. Summarising … Continue reading Summary Tell, or Interactive Show?

On the Street

This story is for #FOWC & #FFF, and the picture that set it off: “This is what she looks like,” Issa said. “Like an anime street urchin?” The boy with the hanks of twisted hair touched the wall. “Like a goddess of dirt?” “Exactly,” Issa stepped up beside the boy. “She’s my little sister, but … Continue reading On the Street

MICE with PIES in the Toolbox

Sounds intimidating, or worse, doesn’t it? It isn’t. Promise. There are no beasties in the following words. And sorry, but no lunch either. MICE refers to storytelling. M is for Milieu and although every story has a setting, a Milieu story is more than a story based mostly on setting. It’s also a tool to … Continue reading MICE with PIES in the Toolbox

And Then There was the … Synopsis

What — you do it first? I don’t, and there’s a reason for that. It’s not that I do things back to front, at least not from my perspective. The start is the beat sheets, one for each character in the story, but the main two characters (usually the main character/protagonist and the antagonist) get … Continue reading And Then There was the … Synopsis

Lucky Be, Lucky

(for Fandango’s FOWC Lucky). Lucky Be, Lucky Rain pattered on the glass. Lucky held his ear to the pane and smiled. “What does it have to say?” Rona asked as she tidied the kitchen. “It says it’s going to rain today, that the plants will be watered, that the river will flow, that the dust … Continue reading Lucky Be, Lucky

What comes after?

Remember the story process posts (combined post here)? Well, that was just the start! What happens next? The next level down for a story plan (yes, it’s a real plan, but not a synopsis or outline — this is a process, my process): Scene Outlines What is a scene outline? This is a bit like … Continue reading What comes after?

It’s That Time of Year

The time to take a break and focus on family and friends, which means I’m taking a holiday from the blog (not from writing, but it will be reduced time available). However, before I go I should mention that the Novitiate novella is going free on Amazon around Christmas. Keep an eye on the dates: … Continue reading It’s That Time of Year

One Plus One Equals Three

If you’re a writer, you’re about to rebuke me and say, “one plus one equals half,” because that’s the term used when writers show and then tell, or tell and then show. In this case, it’s to do with receiving goods, and then having to put them together. I got something. I opened the box. … Continue reading One Plus One Equals Three

Your first pages – 5 more book openings critiqued by a literary agent (and me!) at @Litopia

Originally posted on Nail Your Novel:
I’ve just guested again at Litopia, the online writers’ colony and community. Each week they have a YouTube show, Pop-Up Submissions, where five manuscripts are read and critiqued live on air by literary agent Peter Cox @agentpete and a guest, or sometimes two (this time we had longtime Litopia…