Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 3
November 3, 2018
November 2, 2018
4 Cs – a plotting formula for writers who hate the formulaic – guest post at Ingram Spark
Today’s re-blog is by the inimitable Roz Morris :-)
How do we tease a bunch of ideas into a plot? How much notice should we take of common plot shapes such as the Hero’s Journey? Are they worn to death now? If we get creative and throw the rules out of the window, how do we ensure we don’t end up with an unreadable mess? IngramSpark noticed I have a book about plot, so they asked me over to their blog to write a quick guide to plotting with pizzazz, panache and unpredictabilit...
Yet Further Conversation about the “Rules of Writing” . . .
This Blog Conversation began on October 15th and continued on Oct. 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 29th, and 31st… [image error]
And, I’ll kick off this 9th installment with a piece of writing guidance that’s in every one of those past posts:
If you take that last link, you’ll find more guidance from the author of that quote…
So…
Now, we can read a comment from an Author, Poet, Editor, and Photographer living in Denmark:
“I think the question is if the benefits o...
October 31, 2018
Two By Two
Radical thinking about writing groups in today’s re-blog :-)
I’ve never been a writing group person.
We can’t leave until Janie gets back from the bathroom. Again.
1) I travel a lot (you may have noticed) and it’s hard to commit to meeting regularly with the same group.
2) It’s hard to find the right group.
Honestly, “right group” is the biggest obstacle. I would–and have–driven hours to write with the right people. I’ve extended stays in cities where good writing pe...
Still Further Conversation about the “Rules of Writing” . . .
[image error]
This Blog Conversation began on October 15th and continued on Oct. 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, and 29th…
The reader comments in all those past posts are the reason for this discussion’s wide variety of views about the “rules” of writing…
And, here is yet another comment from our author-publisher friend from Germany:
“We need rules that can help us read our sentences with the eyes of outsiders who haven’t been listening to the ideas in our heads but have to rely on our words on the page. Su...
October 29, 2018
That’s . . . Weird: Cultivating a Child’s Unique Sense of Humor by Margaret Mincks
From today’s charming re-blog:
“I hope my books give kids a safe place to laugh and connect with characters who are learning about themselves, just like they are. Every kid needs a place to be Weird-weird, whether it’s at home, with their friends, or in a secret journal.”
“John is a hungry boy. (Yeah.)
He likes to eat lots of things. (Yeah.)
He goes to the buffet every day and likes to fill his PLATE . . .
With tasty things.”
-Margaret Mincks, ca. 1993
John is my brother,...
Even Further Conversation about the “Rules of Writing” . . .
[image error] This Blog Conversation began on October 15th and continued on Oct. 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, and 26th…
If you’re even moderately interested in “rules of writing”, do check out those past posts—we’ve come a long way in this conversation :-)
So…
The first comment to let this discussion move forward came from a poet on Wattpad:
“‘No rule should be followed off a cliff !’ How very true, yet we are often leery of those edgy rules… and how does constraint allow the wings of creativity to spread and...
October 27, 2018
A Small Press, Don’t Stress: Why Size Doesn’t Matter
Illuminating re-blog…
brief extract:
“…there is this dream of being represented by one of the big five publishing houses. I didn’t try the agent route, very deliberately. I consciously chose to work with a small press for this novel.”
By Sweta Srivastava Vikram
A rhyming title for an essay, you must wonder. Full disclaimer: I am a poet at heart; the crossover to writing and publishing a novel has been transformative, and I wanted to share some things I learned.
I won...
October 26, 2018
Further Conversation about the “Rules of Writing” . . .
This Blog Conversation began on October 15th and continued on Oct. 17th, 19th, 22nd, and 24th… [image error]
Scanning those previous posts and reading the
BlockQuotes
will show you the range of ideas we’ve covered so far in this discussion…
One critical idea I’ve shared in all those past posts is from author C. J. Cherryh:
No Rule Should Be Followed Off a Cliff.
Do you think that’s important in writing…?
Perhaps you’d share an experience you (or, a writer friend) has had in following a “rule” off a “cli...
