Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 25

Musings on Categorization

 by Sybil JohnsonPeople like to categorize things, to put things in boxes. I think it makes it easier for us to deal with and remember all of the information that we’re bombarded with every day. This includes categorizing books. We have crime fiction, non-fiction, scifi, general fiction etc. With crime fiction there are sub-categories like cozies, thrillers, private eye... Categorization can

Scams and Scoundrels

 by Charlotte HingerI can't keep up with all the crooks operating online. Sometimes I think the people who never use the internet are the smart ones after all. A couple of weeks I foolishly bought a new sofa bed and matching loveseat without selling my old furniture first. I truly thought someone would snatch it up immediately because it's in perfect condition. I love this all-leather

Mother Nature's wrath

Sybil's post about conflict struck a chord with me today. She listed the three basic types of conflict - with yourself, with another person, and with the environment. Including all three in the same story makes the story even more vivid. The more conflict and challenge, the better. The environment can be a physical challenge like a dangerous whitewater river, a steep mountain, or a dark,

Finances!

 by Charlotte HingerOne of the best writers I know is Johnny D. Boggs. He actually earns a living from his writing. Of course, he qualifies that by adding "it depends on how you define a living." I admire him tremendously for the quality of his writing. He and board member Natalie Bright gave a great panel presentation at the recent Western Writers of America convention in Tulsa.They

Communication Issues in Fiction

 by Sybil JohnsonSometime in my 20s I decided managing expectations (yours and others) and good communication were the key to minimizing conflict in everyday life. I’m all for minimizing conflict IRL. This should not be true of fiction, of course, We need conflict and misunderstandings to make a good story. The conflict could be with others, with yourself, with the environment...

My Crime Noir

  By Thomas KiesI’ve been working feverishly on a book that I’m really excited about.  The working title is Exit Signs. The first draft of the last chapter is being written today.  Later this week, I’ll go back and reread and edit the manuscript one more time.  It’s very noir, a genre that I’ve always loved.  The characters in my new book are deliciously flawed.&nbsp

Early Writing Days

 by Charlotte HingerI confess that Donis's post about the not-so-good-old-days sent me down memory lane. The above picture is of me and two of the daughters and our beloved evil little dog Puppies. More about Puppies later. Donis talked about traveling with children years ago. There were no seat belts and a number of times the girls and I would take off at night to meet Don's truck and

Writing Classes

 Happy Independence Day! We’ve lived through another Arizona June, and now we have to endure July and August and part of September before we can remember why we love Arizona in the first place.I complain, but it is a dry heat, which truly does make a difference. And I know. Remember that I grew up in eastern Oklahoma, where 98 degrees is accompanied by 98 percent humidity and 98 million

Do You Wish You Wrote That?

 by Sybil JohnsonSomeone asked me once in an interview what books I wished I’d written. It’s an interesting question. There are all sorts of reasons that a writer might wish they’d written something:It sells really well and makes the author very well-knownThe writing is beautiful and/or the plot is well-doneIt changes the world in some wayBecause you want to be known as the person that

WWA Forevermore

 by Charlotte HingerMy trip to the Western Writers of America convention got off to a rocky start this year. I intended to take off for Kansas Monday, stay in Nicodemus with my friend Angela Bates that night and we would leave for Tulsa Tuesday morning. But Sunday evening I gashed my leg on an open bottom dresser drawer and ended up going to ER for stitches. Between a dramatic rise in