Tag: creative writing

From “Drought Town” to “Blue Karma”: 25 Years of Cli-Fi

April 21, 2019

Last month, book blogger Alex at ScribblesAndStories posted a delightful retrospective of her childhood writing projects. Her unflinching but affectionate review hits all the classic points in a writer’s early evolution, from those first forays into fiction starring ourselves and our friends, to the imitative works inspired by a favorite story, to the more deliberate … More From “Drought Town” to “Blue Karma”: 25 Years of Cli-Fi

In-Flight Entertainment: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stories

December 9, 2018

Epiphany struck me 35,000 feet over Chicago. Dimmed lights in the plane cabin made my laptop screen glow conspicuously on the tiny tray table, an invitation to judge over my shoulder, but I didn’t have time for self-consciousness. I had revisions to finish. Faced with a cross-country business trip, I’d assigned myself a travel project … More In-Flight Entertainment: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stories

The Accidental Mirror: What Flawed Characters Reveal About Ourselves

July 15, 2018

Running solves most of my problems. Bad day at work? Fight with the family? Mad at the world in general? After half a dozen sweaty miles, I reach a place where I’m better equipped to deal. It’s especially helpful for working through story issues. My feet go on autopilot, carrying me not through neighborhoods and … More The Accidental Mirror: What Flawed Characters Reveal About Ourselves

The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt III: Three Traps to Avoid When Writing Female Characters

July 1, 2018

Even when writers describe and develop female characters well, they still must navigate a minefield of stale and unhealthy cliches. Tumbling into one of these pernicious pits can ruin a great heroine, and sometimes the entire story along with her. In this final post of my series on writing female characters, I’ll identify three common … More The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt III: Three Traps to Avoid When Writing Female Characters

The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt II: Three Tips for Writing “Strong” Female Characters

June 17, 2018

In the first post in this series, we discussed subjectivity and objectification when describing female characters. But “beautiful” isn’t the only contentious adjective frequently applied to them. Lots of readers claim to love “strong” heroines; what does this actually mean? As a kid in the 90s, I caught the leading edge of the “more strong heroines!” … More The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt II: Three Tips for Writing “Strong” Female Characters

The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt I: Three Tips for Describing Female Characters

June 3, 2018

Indie authorship seems to have exacerbated my penchant for masochism: I can’t help looking at the bestseller lists, even though it only leaves me sad that my books aren’t on them! Browsing the top titles a few weeks ago, the blurb for Dan Brown’s latest novel Origin caught my eye. After reconnecting with one of … More The Beautiful Scientist Problem, Pt I: Three Tips for Describing Female Characters