Hank Quense's Blog: Hank Quense's Blog, page 96

Build a Better Story

Build a Better Story is now available at Smashwords for download in EPUB, MOBI, LRF, PDB, and TXT formats.  It is available on my website in .PDF format.[image error]Have a story that needs to be told?  Here's the best way to go about doing it.The book describes a process that eases the work involved in developing a story.  This reduces the time spent in reworking flawed and imperfect drafts. Following the process allows more time to be spent on the creative activities and shortens the time spent on less ...

The Burning Land by Bernard Cormwell

The saga of Uhtred,a Dane employed by King Alfred to defend Wessex from other Danes, continues.  Cornwell has written another great work of historical fiction.  This time, Uhtred abandons Alfred and travels north to visit his good friend, Ragnar.  Alfred tricks Uhtred into returning to Wessex to defend it against a Dane named Haesten who has launched an invasion.

My only problem with Cornwell's books is they come to an end and I have to wait for the next one to get published.

four out of five s...

Fool's Gold review

My novel Fool's Gold just received another great review.  Read the press release

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Fool's Gold Cover

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Cooking with Grandkids

Yesterday, my four-year-old granddaughter, Jenni, and I set out to make out own chicken nuggets.  Part of the process involves crushing corn flakes in a plastic bag with[image error] a rolling pin.  Alas, my rolling pin was missing.  (I later recalled I lent it to my daughter who never returned it).  In desperation, I pressed a bottle of wine (unopened) into service and finished the recipe.

Who knew a bottle of wine would make such an admirable rolling pin?

Prizzi's Honor: a review

A great book by Richard Condon,a great author.  This Condon's first and best book about the Prizzi's, a powerful mob of gangsters in Brooklyn, NY.  The main character and the mob's enforcer is Charley Partanna.  Charley attends a wedding and falls in love with a women who also attends.  Charley doesn't know she is a freelance shooter who has a contract in New York to hit and old gangster, normally Charley's responsibility.

I give this one four out of five stars.

Interview with Nerine Dorman

1) Can you give us a brief bio?Born and bred in Cape Town, South Africa, I'm currently employed as a sub-editor at a large newspaper publisher and have been working on a travel supplement for one of the weeklies for the past few years. I regularly write travel and lifestyle-orientated editorial, which is published nationally. It keeps me sane when the day-to-day grind of deadlines wears me down. For the past three years I've been running a writers' group in my home town specifically geared...

Great Pictures

Check out the amazing pictures Sheila Crosby made of a small church on the island where she lives. She has them on her blog.   Look for the March 4 entry

Interview with Manda Benson

1) Can you give us a brief bio?I'm an ex-research scientist living in the Midlands of England. I've worked in areas of chemical research as diverse as drugs design, genetic engineering, biofuels, organic synthesis, and polymers. I've dabbled with teaching science, mainly at secondary and undergraduate level. 2) When did the writing bug bite and in what genre(s)?[image error]

I've always written, for as long as I can remember. I even remember writing when I hadn't been taught to write. Of course, no-one...

Build a Better Story

Build a Better Story is now available in ebook format. It replaces the previous version Get it in Gear.  The new version has 67% more material.  Its focus is on providing a method of organizing the thoughts and story elements in a way that simplifies writing the first draft.

An artist doesn't start slopping paint on a blank canvas the instant she gets an idea for a new painting.  She sketches the ideas on
paper and then prepares the canvas.  So too, an author has to sketch out the story ideas a...

Show, Don't Tell

This is a writing maxim that often surfaces in critiques.  Many inexperienced writers carry the show to extremes.  Having seen the "show don't tell" admonition in every book on fiction writing, they assume that every instance of telling is wrong.  The reality is that every story is a combination of showing and telling. [image error]While showing is a must for action scenes, telling is useful for compressing time and space.  Description is usually telling.  So is all exposition.  Both description and...