When we find a great teacher, we prize them not only because what we learn improves our lives but also because good learning can be one of the most exhilirating things we experience. Unfortunately, a lot of teaching stinks. It’s boring, rambling, forgettable. I’ve made a study of teaching. I’ve had to. For almost 20 years I’ve taught and
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Mark your calendars!! The free, 2009 Life, the Universe, and Everything symposium at BYU will run Thursday – Saturday, February 19 – 21. The speical guests are Tracy & Laura Hickman (Dragonlance authors) and James C. Christensen (yes, the amazing fantasy artist). But there will be more than a dozen other authors there, including: L.E.
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I love listening to writing excuses because I get to hear three smart and funny authors discuss interesting topics that get me thinking. This week’s writing excuse was on building non-humans in SF&F. Here’s my take. An alien race, if done right, can be a huge draw to a story. For example, Brandon Sanderson’s Kandra point of
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There are two answers to this question. 1. The story answer by Orson Scott Card, best-selling author As long as the story needs, but 75k-100k is when it starts to “feel” like a novel. 2. The selling it to editors answer by Jenny Rappaport, literary agent “Aim for 80k minimum and 120k maximum. Try to hit as
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This week’s Writing Excuses was an interesting topic. I’ve had similar questions from folks as I give my workshop on writing fiction. Here are some additions to the excellent comments made by our fearless Three. Can you plan for a single draft? In my experience and those of other published writers I know, wanting to
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