Kyle A. Massa's Blog, page 15
March 18, 2019
The Grand “Finish It!” Initiative
I’ve noticed a trend in my short stories. Many of my drafts have no endings! Let’s back up a moment. I’m releasing a short story collection in June called Everyday Monsters (more details coming soon). As part of the collection process, I scoured my hard drive for on-theme stories. I found a bunch. Problem is, […]
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March 11, 2019
3 Signs Your Novel Has Too Many POV Characters
Writing a novel from multiple points of view is tempting. It’s especially tempting, I find, for those writing fantasy. George R.R. Martin does it. Why can’t we? Well, what works for Mr. Martin won’t necessarily work for us. And truth be told, what works for Mr. Martin doesn’t always actually work for Mr. Martin, if […]
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March 4, 2019
For Writers, Distractions Are Essential
Distractions. They’re impossible to avoid. This is a fact I’ve learned to live with—especially for writing time. Whether it’s my cats getting into a fight, a fantasy football injury update, or even getting up for the bathroom, it’s all the same thing: distraction. It happens to the best of us. It happens to all of us. […]
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February 25, 2019
Fantasy Settings: How Much Do We Really Need to See?
Everybody likes a good fantasy setting. Whether it’s Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, Lewis’s Narnia, or Pratchett’s Discworld, there are some places we never want to leave. By that logic, there are some places we should see even more of, right? Well, not necessarily. For us fantasy writers, it’s tempting to show every region of our worlds. That abandoned graveyard? […]
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February 18, 2019
Unusual Narrative Styles in Fiction
Mark Twain once said, “I like a good story well told.” We’re with you there, Mark. Whether that story comes in the form of a book, a news article, or over a drink with a friend after work, stories are pretty much universal. It’s the “well told” part of this statement that interests me most, […]
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February 11, 2019
Patreon, Crowdfunding, and the Future of Writers’ Revenue
“Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.” That’s a line from Pink Floyd’s “Money.” A great song, but certainly not the only one to address its titular subject. In fact, there are tons of songs about money. It’s an understandable fixation. For songwriters, authors, or any artist, money is a big deal. Most don’t expect […]
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February 4, 2019
5 Best Fantasy Book Series
I love fantasy books. I read them, I write them, and on days like today, I blog about them. I think the title of this post says all it needs to, so let’s get into it. 5. The First Law by Joe Abercrombie Of all the series on this list, The First Law might be the one you’re least […]
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January 28, 2019
Hot Sauce and the Importance of Humor
When I was in college, I made a movie for an introductory film course. It was not very good. It was called 61 Days, and it was about a guy with a terminal illness. He’s been given the cliche timeline: just two months, sixty-one days, and then whappo. He croaks. So he decides to go on a […]
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January 21, 2019
Is Setting the Least Important Element of Fiction?
Hey, reader. Check out this Twitter poll: An evil interdimensional being appears and demands to eat one essential element of fiction writing. Which are you offering up? — ProWritingAid (@ProWritingAid) October 15, 2018 I work for this company. We’re called ProWritingAid and we make a super-powered editing app that helps writers improve at writing. It’s a great […]
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January 14, 2019
Is an Author’s Intent Irrelevant?
“I thought he was insane.” This is one reader’s take on the titular protagonist of my novel, Gerald Barkley Rocks. I must admit, it makes sense. After all, my protagonist interacts with a character no one else can see. And, without giving too much away, he has some pretty odd experiences, ones that can’t be confirmed by any other […]
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