Browsed by
Author: Dorothy A. Winsor

At home or fish out of water?
Character at home vs. Fish out of water

Character at home vs. Fish out of water

Comments 0 Comment

Sometimes a writer situates a character at home, in a place they know well. Other times, writers toss their character into an unfamiliar place so they’re a fish out of water. Both choices present some challenges for the writer. I recently read C.J. Sansom’s Dark Fire and John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society, one right after the other. They’re very different books in a lot of ways. Dark Fire is set in Tudor London, displayed in all its political intrigue,…

Read More Read More

Winterturn: A Finders Keepers Story

Winterturn: A Finders Keepers Story

Comments 0 Comment

One thing I could always count on was that my brother would boss me around.  Or try, anyway. Also, he’d act like a horse’s behind. So I guess that was two things I could count on. Anyway, it didn’t surprise me that he scowled when I stopped to look down Mudpit Lane. On the pond at its end, past the red guardian ribbons, kids were sliding on the ice while an excited dog chased them. “It’s getting dark,” Roth said….

Read More Read More

Glass Girl cover
Obsidian, AKA Dragonglass

Obsidian, AKA Dragonglass

Comments 0 Comment

In my latest book, Glass Girl, the central character, Emlin, is a glassmaker. Because the book takes place on a volcanic island, Emlin and her sister glass crafters are interested in their island’s obsidian. As you probably know, obsidian is glass that forms from lava if the minerals in the lava and the surrounding soil are of the right kind. It would usually be found on the ground in the lava flow, but you occasionally see it in some surprising…

Read More Read More

Glass pen from Venice, courtesy of Melinda Squibb
Glassmakers in Venice

Glassmakers in Venice

Comments 2 comments

My new book, Glass Girl, features a central character who’s a glassmaker. We take glass for granted. It’s in our windows, on our tables, in trinkets. Usually, it’s cheap. But this wasn’t always so. At one time, glass was expensive enough to be a major trade item, and nowhere was this more so than in 13th through 16th century Venice. Protecting Glassmakers’ Income Given that a lot of money was floating around, various people acted to protect its source. For…

Read More Read More

Glass Girl
Creative Use of Setting in “The Sting”

Creative Use of Setting in “The Sting”

Comments 0 Comment

I recently rewatched “The Sting” with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Enjoyable for a lot of reasons! But one thing that impressed me was how well the movie used settings. You may or may not remember that early in the movie Redford had to flee to Chicago, where he was looking for Newman, whom he’d never met. So, try to think of how you’d stage that. I’d probably have Redford knocking on a door in some seedy neighborhood or something….

Read More Read More

book club books
Choosing a Read for Your Book Club

Choosing a Read for Your Book Club

Comments 0 Comment

If you belong to a book club, inevitably, there comes a month when it’s your turn to pick the book. Over time, you learn that this can be a trickier task than you anticipated. Obviously, you want your fellow members to enjoy reading the book. I, personally, can’t always guess what people will like. Last year, I chose Madeline Miller’s Circe, which was an Amazon Editor’s Pick. Several people in my club had never read Homer or studied Greek myth…

Read More Read More

Small press the stresses diversity
A Socially Conscious Publisher: Inspired Quill

A Socially Conscious Publisher: Inspired Quill

Comments 0 Comment

There are a lot of ways for writers to be published these days—big presses, small presses, independent or self-publishing platforms. But even within each of these categories, there are differences. I’m very proud of my current small press publisher, Inspired Quill. IQ is located in the UK, and one reason I’m proud of them is that, in the UK, they are a registered social enterprise. I’d never heard the term “social enterprise” before I read IQ’s site while researching them….

Read More Read More

The Story Idea Notebook

The Story Idea Notebook

Comments 0 Comment

Recently, I was walking down my building’s hallway behind an old guy with a cane. He was talking very loudly on his cell, and he said, “I am driving in my car, and I cannot take your call.” At that point, he turned down a side hall, so that was all I heard. I went home and wrote what I’d seen in my story idea notebook. The Story Idea Notebook My story idea notebook is exactly what it sounds like:…

Read More Read More

POV characters should speak with distinctive voices
Voice: Creating It Through Microrevision

Voice: Creating It Through Microrevision

Comments 2 comments

I recently read Maggie Stiefvater’s Call Down the Hawk, and as I read, I admired how thoroughly she saturates every line of the book with the voice of the point-of-view character. When I refer to a character’s “voice,” I mean the way their experience, education, emotions, and attitude affect the words they use. It’s what turns point of view from a pair of observing eyes to a revelation about the observing character. I was in the process of doing a…

Read More Read More

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial