The Author as Terrorist #4: Keep Them Guessing
Posted by Rick on Aug 1, 2010 in Blog, Writing | 187 comments
Effective terrorists manage to keep their victims in constant uncertainty. Will the next attack be a car bomb at the mall, sarin gas in the subway, or anthrax in the mail? Their victims live in constant tension, knowing that they could be hit at any moment from any direction. Suspense writers need to be able to do the same thing to our victims, er,...
Read moreStory Creation
Posted by Rick on Sep 14, 2009 in Blog | 284 comments
Story creation is (for me anyway) a lot like pearl creation for an oyster. It starts off with an irritating little idea in the back of my head that won’t go away. If it doesn’t get rejected during the process of adding layers to it, it eventually becomes a book. Here’s how that layering process works: Story summary. I try writing up a short...
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