Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 748

In good company

A while ago, I wrote about TIMEQUAKE, the last novel by Kurt Vonnegut that I have yet to read. I’ve been purposely reading the novel at a snail’s pace for the past few years, in fear that I might one day finish and not having anything new to read by my favorite author.

In terms of this unusual approach to reading, it appears that I am in good company. Last night my wife and I were watching Battlestar Galactica, a show that we are both enjoying very much. In the episode, Admiral Adama takes a s

I pity the publisher

My agent, Taryn, informed me that after my fourth New York Times bestselling book, I’m allowed to write an entirely character-driven novel without any thought or concern for plot.

This makes Taryn the perfect person to negotiate my next book deal, since it’s clear that she drives a ridiculously hard bargain.

Characters and their names

Last week, a student asked me for a lesson on creating strong characters for his fiction, including tips on how to generate the names of characters as well.

I tried my best to answer some of his questions and share the process by which I develop characters, but to be honest, I had little to say to the young man. It’s so odd how my own writing process can be such a mystery to me. But like my student, I am incredibly curious to find out how other authors develop and name their characters and will

Not acting my age

One added benefit of my recent mention in USA Today was the printing of my age, 38.

Many of my friends and colleagues thought that this was a misprint, assuming that I was much close to thirty than to forty. I had more than half a dozen people ask me about it, and all were shocked to hear that the age was accurate.

While some based their assumption on physical appearance, most referenced my youthful, immature spirit. One friend said, “I never imagined that someone so close to forty could get i

Storytelling on Twitter

For those of you on Twitter, you may be aware of the recent explosion of Twitter stories or novels, sometimes called Twisters, that people are now writing. They are essentially 140-character, self-contained stories, usually amounting to about three or four sentences. They remind me a great deal of haikus, particularly in terms of the turn that these stories usually take in their final sentence. The format seems to lend itself to a two or three sentence set-up with a final sentence of resolution,

Experience counts

My good friend often said that no one can write a decent book before the age of forty. Life experience, he believes, is required to write well.

I sold my book at the age of 37, three years under my friend’s presumed guideline. Sometimes I think I wrote it out of spite, just to prove the guy wrong.

Spite, I’ve always found, is the best reason to do anything.

I also become annoyed with myself from time to time for waiting so long to write my first novel, assuming that I could’ve done so ten or

USA Today! Today!

An article appeared in USA Today by Carol Memmott on publishing in trade paperback instead of hardcover, and SOMETHING MISSING was featured prominently in the piece.

Very exciting!

My initial instinct was to run out and purchase fifty copies of the paper, but oddly enough, I have experience with this kind of thing and thought better of it. This is actually the second time that I have been featured in USA Today. Back in 1996 I was a USA Today Academic All American, and my name information about m

Wyatt of Rockport, Massachusetts

I spent the past week vacationing in Rockport, a seaside town on the north shore of Massachusetts. It’s a delightfully quaint and historic little town, its streets lined with tiny shops, each filled with tons of character and individuality. As we explored the town, dining in the restaurants and stopping in many of the shops, I came to realize that this was exactly the kind of town where I could one day set a story.

My newest novel takes place in the fictional town of Killingworth, Vermont and t

Odd titles

As I attempt to settle on a title for my second novel, I am amused by the discovery that a prize is given out annually to the book with the oddest name.

It’s known as The Diagram Prize, named for the information and graphics company where it was born.

This year’s winner: The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-Milligram Containers of Fromage Frais

Runners-up included Curbside Consultation of the Colon, The Large Sieve and Its Applications, Strip and Knit with Style and Techniques for Corrosion Monito

Interruption

Conversation between a three-year old and me:

Three-year old:  Hi.  What are you working on?

Me:  An questionnaire for my publisher.

Three-year old:  Why?

Me:  So that my readers can know me better.

Three-year old:  Oh. 

A second later...

Three-year old:  I've been working on the railroad, all the living long day.  I've been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away. 

So much for my questionnaire.