R.L. Herron's Blog, page 4

How to Use Psychology to Write Amazing Stories

              Illustration © Charles Schultz Remember the Charlie Brown comic strip? The enterprising Lucy one-upped the lemonade stand business model and parked herself at a booth offering “Psychiatric Help” for five cents. I feel a little like that sometimes when I write this blog. Believe it or not, psychology […]

Can You Make Your Narrative Voice Sing?

Telling a story is very much like taking a picture. You choose the elements you want to include and decide on the perspective. For instance, imagine you’re writing a story where three very different singers – let’s say, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson and Janis Joplin – are each singing “Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” Interesting concept … right? […]

Feeling Productive?

If you’re a writer anything like me, you probably have lots of story ideas floating around in the wrinkled old gray matter under your cap. I know I sure do. There’s a lot waiting to bloom. As I mentioned last month, 2018 was a productive time for me. I’ve completed several chapters of three entirely […]

What is Historical Fiction?

As the holidays close in and another year comes to a close, I’ve had a chance to think about the books I’ve written, and those on which I’m currently working, one of which is definitely historical fiction. The working title is the name of the town in Hungary where the protagonist lived – Harkau. Not […]

Are You Creating Believable Characters?

My wife and I just returned from a marvelous vacation in the Caribbean, on the island of St. Lucia. It was a great time, that passed far too quickly, but I had a lot of time to think about the writing projects I have in the works. I spent a lot of time listening to […]

Wish You Were More Creative?

“Creativity” – Photo Courtesy Pexels.com I found September and October this year to be a whirlwind. There were readings and book-signings, followed by writers’ group meetings, then a writing conference, capped just last weekend by another day-long book-signing. All while working on yet another novel. It’s been enough to strain anyone’s creativity. But I can […]

Are You a Dedicated Storyteller?

I recently attended the 2018 Fall Rochester Writers’ Conference at Oakland University and, after a day of interesting presentations, plus conversations with a significant number of the other attendees, one resounding thought from it stays with me. Everyone enjoys a good story. Telling one, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. It takes a willingness […]

Making the Most of a Writing Conference

Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan Let’s face it. Writing can be a solitary endeavor, but you don’t have go it alone. You can always do what I do … attend a writing conference, and meet some of the other members of that tribe called writers. On October 20, I plan to attend the Rochester Writers’ Conference […]

How Important is Dialogue in Fiction?

Picture courtesy Pexels.com I’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again. I don’t think it can be over-emphasized. Dialogue, when properly structured, is one of the most powerful tools in the fiction writer’s arsenal. When you turn on the sound, which is what your dialogue is doing, the scene becomes real and immediate. […]

Want to Write a Good Story?

Picture courtesy Pexels.com Every writer has heard the question many times: Where do you get your ideas? The answer from most of them is almost always the same as it is for me … Everywhere. Many aspiring writers believe they need to wait for a sudden flash of inspiration to write well but, in truth, […]