Richard Van Anderson's Blog, page 8

The Four D’s: Part 4 – Depth of Story

  If you’re an aspiring writer you know all about plot and subplot. Plot gives us the spine of the story, and subplots add depth, but where do plot and subplot take root? In theme. What is theme? Theme is what a story has to say about the timeless truths and facets of the human […]

Do You Have an Ear For Dialogue?

  Of the many technical skills needed to write fiction, dialogue is probably the hardest to master. You either have an ear for it, or you don’t. I’ve heard this. I’ve read this. I believe it. At best, the majority of us aspiring writers will learn to write good dialogue. Those blessed few who have the […]

Gatsby vs Carraway – Whose Story Is It?

  Many regard F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as one of the great literary achievements of its time. Published in 1925, the story accurately reflects a cross-section of post-World War I America. Referred to as the Jazz Age, the early- to mid-1920’s brought unprecedented economic gain to post-war America, benefiting primarily the established upper […]

The Four D’s: Part 4 – More on Depth of Character

  At the welcome reception for my MFA program I was asked the following question: when my novel is published and on bookstore shelves, next to which author would I like to see it placed? I had never thought about this and found myself unable to come up with a satisfactory answer. Later, as I […]

Stories About How to Tell Stories

    On the cover of the trade paperback edition of The Things They Carried, a short excerpt from the New York Times book review says, “A marvel of storytelling … The Things They Carried matters not only to the reader interested in Vietnam but to anyone interested in the craft of writing as well.” I found this to […]

Hell Hath No Fury Like That of the Scorned Woman

  DENNIS LEHANE once said that the short story is the prose writer’s best chance for perfection. The novel is too big and unruly, but with the short story, the author can come close to getting it just right. I think Holly M. Kothe has approached perfection with her story collection Sweet Violent Femmes. The collection contains […]

Reader Meet Author

  Are you a reader looking for a cool way to discover new books and authors? Or are you an author marketing a book? If you’ve answered yes to either question, you should check out Bublish. Bublish is a unique book-discovery website that uses “book bubbles” to create an interface between authors and readers. The bubbles contain excerpts from […]

The Four D’s: Part 3 – Depth of Character

  Craft books and writing teachers will tell you that readers read for character. Indeed, the cornerstone of literary fiction is the complex character study. At a minimum, even the most surface-dwelling, plot-driven genre novel needs engaging characters to carry the story. These characters are not expected to confront deep emotional issues or transcend their […]

The Final Push

  Would you take a life to save a life? A cop would. A soldier would. How about a medical student? What if you were that student, and you had unrestricted access to the comatose trauma patient who shattered your personal life two months earlier, and by taking his life you could piece yours back […]

The Woven Tale Press

  The latest issue of The Woven Tale Press is now available. What is the Woven Tale Press, you ask? To paraphrase, it’s a monthly e-magazine that scours the web in search of creative energy that all too often lies buried in a blogger’s archives (like my stuff), be it visual arts, short fiction and nonfiction, writing advice or anything […]