Recent content by Penpilot

There's a phrase that gets brought up quite often in writing circles. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone gets inspired. Everyone has ideas. I have file on my computer that has dozens and dozens of story ideas. I'm pretty sure most writers have something similar, whether its a file on a computer...

Be careful here. You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? You're kind of trying to find one word--or a handful of words--that encompass the emotion and visuals created by a thousand words. There are things you can do with visuals that you can't do with prose and vice versa...

Generally, I will only offer critiques in situations like writer's groups. The text will be shorter, and the setting generally puts people in a better mindset to receive what's being said. Even then, it can be tricky sometimes. In terms of being asked by friends, family, or acquaintances, I...

Maybe if you exaggerate the differences in such an over the top way that even if they don't get the joke they'll understand something is going on. For example, That's Phil. That's Mike. That's Mick. Oh and that's Storaya Balenny Moonrise, Daughter of Dusk, Fist of the Fallen Heavens, Destroyer...

Looking at this, I think there's a trip up. If we look at our own world, what's unusual vs. what's normal is all relative. If you look at a list of names Bob, Fred, Sam, Mary and Kimaya. Depending what part of the world you're in, Kimaya maybe the common name or it maybe the uncommon name. Same...

You can't account for every reader's vocabulary. If the word is appropriate for the character or setting, then IMHO, it would be a mistake to dumb it down so to speak. One time in a writing class, someone critiqued one of my stories. And one of the comments was they didn't know what a helm was...

My approach, which applies to how I approach most characters, is don't look at them as a child character. Look at them as a character who happens to be a child. Start with who they are as a character, what their likes and dislikes are. What motivates them? Etc. Then take that and filter it...

When I'm trying to find the right word, I use Word Hippo to gather up a bunch of them that are close and then decide later which one is best. So my prose may look something like this. Bob (ran/dashed/flew/darted/raced) down the street. I find that if I get too engrossed in finding and choosing...

Every writer uses their personal experiences to bring their stories to life. Sometimes it's a dash here or a dash there. Other times, they're ripping the package wide open and pouring it all in. The key is to have the characters be genuine characters, and not some idealized self insert. And that...

Generally, my inspiration comes from simply living life. Now with that said, having a broad strokes understanding of what a story is can help focus your thoughts in the right direction. Others may have different thoughts on this, but this is mine. A story in very broad strokes is someone with...

For me, it's simple. It's about using the right tool for the job. Word choices can say things about who the POV character is and what they feel in the moment. In more romantic moments, one might use softer language, and during those romantic moments one might build towards a moment where the...

There's nothing wrong with using said. It's an invisible word when it comes to stories. I think it's mostly writers who notice it, and/or worry about how much it's used. I've found going to extremes to avoid things that don't necessarily need to be avoided doesn't usually end well. With that...

I don't think it's necessarily a deal breaker. If I remember right, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss does this. If you do a google search for novels that mix first and third person, you'll find many traditionally published books that have done this. As with almost everything in...

I suspect that it might have something to do with the US occupation of Japan after WWII. It planted an admiration for the west and thus a western flavor into parts of their culture. I remember seeing news reports of Japanese people getting operations on their eyes to make them look more western.