While I was reading fanfic earlier, I came across another bothersome issue that frequently comes up in Harry Potter fics: the wills of James and Lily Potter. There are several things that fanfic writers often get wrong in conjunction with those wills, and I want to address a couple of them here. As always,… Continue reading The Wills of James and Lily Potter
Category: Writing Craft
Pressing Charges
Since Mom’s death, I’ve been reading a lot of fanfic – re-reading old favorites and discovering new ones, especially in the Harry Potter fandom. Recently, I was reading YATTFIF (yet another time travel fix-it fic) that shall remain nameless because no one likes being used as a teaching example, however good the story is otherwise,… Continue reading Pressing Charges
Story Pacing and Information Flow
I’ve abandoned reading many stories because the authors don’t understand that Story is all about the revealing (or not) of information to the reader. What does the reader need to know, and when does thon need to know it? Failing to understand that concept shows up in several ways. The first is the extreme… Continue reading Story Pacing and Information Flow
Learning from a “Bad” Book
I had my second COVID vaccine shot on Wednesday, and when I didn’t manifest a reaction (beyond soreness at the injection site, which I’d had with the first one) by Friday, I thought I was in the clear. Not so. Saturday morning, I woke up stuffy-headed and a bit light-headed and running a mild (not… Continue reading Learning from a “Bad” Book
Raymond Chandler on Writing Craft
I just discovered a quote from Raymond Chandler that encapsulates something I’ve been feeling personally, but had no idea it might be a universal – or even that more people than I might feel like this. It came about after yet another bout of writer’s doubt brought on by reading too many books/blogs on writing.… Continue reading Raymond Chandler on Writing Craft
A Zathara Story
We had some friends over for a late lunch this past weekend and, as tends to happen when we get together, the conversation ranged across all kinds of topics – politics, fiction, history, the works. Oddly enough, at some point, The Da Vinci Code came up, and I said that I’d read all but one… Continue reading A Zathara Story
A Writer’s Gift(s)
In a comment on “Man of Iron, Child of Magic,” someone said (paraphrasing): How hard can it be to create a character? My initial response was: Spoken like someone who’s never written a word of fiction in thon’s life. (This, by the way, is why I rarely interact with commenters/reviewers. I appreciate every one –… Continue reading A Writer’s Gift(s)
V and Triangle
Unexpectedly, I find myself doing a series bible for an author whose work I’ve read and enjoyed (though not the specific series for which she wants the bible). She posted on a blog about needing it done, and I emailed and said, “I’m sure you’ve had lots of offers, but if not, then I’m your… Continue reading V and Triangle
