A. B. Carolan’s confession…

Towards the end of Intolerance (a complete “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” novel available as a free PDF download—see my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page), A. B. Carolan meets with his old friend, the Irish copper Michael O’Hara, for drinks at a Donegal pub. There A. B. confesses to having a bit of writer’s block. Michael gives him some advice to cure it.

That advice is basically to remember all the tools a novelist possesses for writing a good story. That list of tools is as old as storytelli...