Since this is exploding all over the internet, and I’ve now made the minimum ante-in to speak about Harry Potter fandom (I watched all the movies over the month of January) I feel like I’m privy to talking about this now. Hermione and Harry would be just absolutely awful together. Not as a couple, but for the story itself. Continue reading J.K. Rowling and the Penmonkey’s Opinion
Tag Archives: Writing
Falling Short: When Goal-Setting Fails.
Hey Everybody!
Tonight’s the last night of my Louisiana thanksgiving vacation extravaganza. I had an absolutely great time, caught up with old friends, and ate dangerously. All in all, a success. Well, in most ways. How’s my 1000 word/day fiction target and one blog a day working out?
| Date | Fiction Written | Non-Fiction Written | Total Written |
| 11/25/2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/24/2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/23/2012 | 1069 | 800 | 1869 |
| 11/22/2012 | 1045 | 1063 | 2108 |
| 11/21/2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/20/2012 | 1034 | 991 | 2025 |
| 11/19/2012 | 1062 | 640 | 1702 |
| 11/18/2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
…Oh.
Can We Have At Least Two Interesting Characters?
Hey man, I know it’s hard. You’re sitting down at the keyboard, busting out your latest masterpiece, and you’re thinking:
“Man, characterization is tough! What if I just did it for my protagonist and no one else?” Continue reading Can We Have At Least Two Interesting Characters?
What I’m Reading: Robber’s Roost by Zane Grey
Mom gave me a pile of picks from her library about a year ago, including Zane Grey’s Robber’s Roost.
Anyways, I read it, and this is a review.
Continue reading What I’m Reading: Robber’s Roost by Zane Grey
Downer Endings: The Novel’s Answer to the Hollywood Ending!
I’ve been jamming tons of text into my eyeballs lately, flash fiction and short stories, novels and craft blogs.
I also told you how I really feel when I wrote Things I’m Sick of Reading About in September. In it, I railed against stories that lack a proper ending. TL;DR If you misuse authorial power so blatantly, this is you:
Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in real stories; stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. Stories that leave the audience satisfied, rather than befuddled, upon reaching the end. When someone writes a story with no end, I wonder, did they have a purpose in writing at all, or did they just want to waste my reading time? In 100% of apprentice writers, 99% of journeyman writers, and 95% of masters, the inconclusive ending flops.
So I stand unapologetically pro-ending.
Next question! Given that an ending must exist (assuming you buy my unconvincing and ill-backed opinion), what kind of ending shall we have? Continue reading Downer Endings: The Novel’s Answer to the Hollywood Ending!
Ode to The Dirty
A patchwork bayou landscape, cypress and pine dressed in spanish moss, that sepulchral lace, slid past our plane as we approached the airport. The alabaster smokestacks of big pharma up The River glow orange from the work-lights. As the swamp climbed to meet us, a sense of comfort and consternation both descended upon me. Oh Louisiana, I’ve missed you, but I could never live you. Continue reading Ode to The Dirty
Why Writers’ Associations Matter
Today, I renewed my membership in the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association after it lapsed some time several months ago.
I’d let it expire for a few reasons, among them the fact that I hadn’t made more than two meetings that year. That, and I pinch pennies like I actually have a reason to, which I really don’t. Continue reading Why Writers’ Associations Matter
Gregory Blake 