Tag: fiction

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

Review: “American Gods”, by Neil Gaiman

April 30, 2017

Did the three norns, spinning our fates at the foot of Yggdrasil, ordain that I finally got around to reading Neil Gaiman’s American Gods mere weeks before the television adaptation premiered? It had languished on my to-read list for years, but an unusual confluence of events–remembering the title after spotting another Gaiman novel on sale, … More Review: “American Gods”, by Neil Gaiman

Fiction’s Dark Mirror: Dystopia and the 9/11 Generation

September 11, 2016

I knew something was wrong when I woke to the television muttering downstairs. My parents rarely watched anything other than evening news and weather. If they’d turned it on at nine a.m. on a Tuesday, it could only mean trouble. In trepidation I crept downstairs and into the living room. Mom sat in front of the … More Fiction’s Dark Mirror: Dystopia and the 9/11 Generation

The Invisible Woman: Sexual Segregation in Sci-Fi

May 17, 2016

My guest post on the gender gap in science fiction posted on the LibraryJournal SELF-e blog today, just as Iron Man 3 co-writer Shane Black revealed that Marvel’s corporate interests forced him to change the gender of the movie’s villain to sell more toys. According to Black, the original script featured a female version of antagonist Aldrich Killian, … More The Invisible Woman: Sexual Segregation in Sci-Fi

How to Write a Novel, Part 5: Dynamic Dialogue

May 5, 2016

Admit it. You eavesdrop. It’s all right, everyone does. Some anthropologists even assert that humans evolved to gossip, because exchanging information about others informs our social bonds and behavior. In novel-writing, dialogue functions as a critical storytelling tool. But fictional conversations differ from those in real life. They must move the story forward through the … More How to Write a Novel, Part 5: Dynamic Dialogue