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Month: November 2017

Three ways experts differ from the rest of us

Three ways experts differ from the rest of us

How do people become experts in any field, including writing? I recently read Geoff Colvin’s Talent Is Overrated. Colvin is an editor for Fortune magazine, so his main interest is in improving corporate performance. However, he writes about the research on the differences between expert and novice performances in areas ranging from sports to music. My focus, of course, was writing and how I might become a better writer. I like his claim of talent being overrated. I’m not sure I even believe…

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What Creates a Powerful Character Voice?

What Creates a Powerful Character Voice?

Lately, I’ve been wrestling with the subtle, hard-to-pin-down subject of voice in fiction. I’m not talking about the writer’s voice, but about that of the point of view character. As a friend of mine once said, a good novel needs three things: interesting characters, something fascinating for them to do, and a strong voice. When I heard that, I knew it was right. But my first thought was, “If only doing that was as easy as it sounds!” My second…

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Recent reads: YA fantasy, MG fantasy, YA non-fantasy, Adult mystery

Recent reads: YA fantasy, MG fantasy, YA non-fantasy, Adult mystery

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to read a bunch of good books. Among them were young adult and middle-grade fantasy, young adult non-fantasy, and an adult mystery. I’ll review them below and rant a bit about how books are categorized on the shelves. Young Adult and Middle-Grade Fantasy Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore Cashore says she originally wrote this book as a choose-your-own-adventure. In post about her writing process, it’s clear that she revises a lot, and Jane…

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