It seems that there is not a professional writer out there who is not yet tired of the question "Am I a writer?" or "How do I know I am a writer?" So much so that I felt compelled to answer the question myself. A more pressing question for me is, am I a genre … Continue reading Am I a Genre Writer?
Tag: writing
The Four Act Plot Structure
Everyone talks about the Three Act Plot Structure. But have you ever heard about the Four Act Structure? It is the basic structure of classic Chinese poetry, and in places like Japan (probably Korea and China as well) students are encouraged to write all stories and essays based on this structure. The Four Act Structure … Continue reading The Four Act Plot Structure
Blake Snyder Beat Sheet
And now that I have mentioned Blake Snyder, I am obligated to mention "Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet" or "BS2". Blake Snyder was a Hollywood script writer who suddenly died at age 51, one year younger than I am now. In his instructional book on screen writing Save the Cat he proposes a plotting plan based … Continue reading Blake Snyder Beat Sheet
Plagiarism Phobia
There should be a word for "a true story that nobody can believe". I've experienced a few, one of them directly related to writing. It was in 1975 in Cleveland Heights. I was 12 years old and my then best friend and I would get together in his room in the attic and write stories … Continue reading Plagiarism Phobia
The Inadequate Writer
I would first like to offer my sincere congratulations to Stephanie Feldman on the publication of her first novel The Angel of Losses. She spent more than a decade struggling to write and her third book has finally been accepted for publication. She recently wrote and excellent article about her experience as an unpublished author titled Failing … Continue reading The Inadequate Writer
Read, Read, Read
If you are a published writer, no matter how crappy you are, people will automatically assume that you know Faulkner by heart. Even if you specialize in YA novels, you will be expected to have intelligent opinions on Proust and Joyce. Of course all writers are supposed to be able to quote at least a few … Continue reading Read, Read, Read
Why You Cannot Write Better Than E.L. James
Like it or not, the phenomenal sales of the Fifty Shades of Grey series will forever change our perception of literary success. Although the series have sold over 100 million copies world wide, not a single book critic I can find could see any merit in the writing. Numerous reviewers have trashed the story and … Continue reading Why You Cannot Write Better Than E.L. James
Why Do We Read?
Emily Bronte is still awesome. Charles Dickens still holds up. Robert Stevenson is still exciting. Mark Twain can still leave the modern reader in stitches. Plenty of people haven't read them yet. In fact, there are just as many people haven't read any given classic as there are people who haven't read any given best … Continue reading Why Do We Read?
Bomb Under the Table
“Hello, Susan my wife and fulltime housewife who helps the local Daisy scouts bake cookies. I see you are coming in holding a cup of coffee.” “Hello, Brian my husband of five years who watches football on TV in his underpants and leaves his dirty socks on the floor. How was your day at the … Continue reading Bomb Under the Table
Gay Boys Coming Out (Don’t do it!)
You know you are old fashioned when you feel unnerved when people come out saying that they are gay. My sexual resume has not been entirely heterosexual, but I think I fall pretty squarely in the non-LGBT side of the equation. So, yeah, I'm not gay. Full disclosure. But I have never had any real … Continue reading Gay Boys Coming Out (Don’t do it!)
Samurai Novelist 