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M. Jaynes

Drawing Them In: Advice on Creating Opening Lines

June 7, 2010

Image via WikipediaWhenever I walk into a Barnes and Noble two things happen: 1. I breathe a little easier because being surrounded by books is like therapy for me. 2. After that euphoric experience my senses become immediately overloaded with all the possibilities. Which book should I choose? Do I go with an old reliable [...]

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Frankie “The Gasket” Colletti

May 24, 2010

Image via WikipediaFrankie “The Gasket” Colletti acquired his nickname by killing off hundreds of so-called “Rats” for the Gervasio crime family over the past thirty years. Sitting in the courtroom under the glaring lights the man didn’t move. Not even when his own lawyer smacked the podium next to him did he bat an eye. [...]

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Idea Generation

May 10, 2010

Image by annais via FlickrIdea generation is an interesting topic. Obviously, different people get their ideas different ways. Personally, my ideas seem to come at me when I am in the process of doing something rather mundane, like driving or taking a shower. Unfortunately, neither of those occupations is conducive to writing down my ideas. [...]

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Cathartic Writing: Where to Turn for Advice on How to Turn Your Personal Demons into Story Gold

April 28, 2010

Cover of On Writing: A Memoir of the CraftWriting comes from a very personal place and many writers agree that the process is an isolated one. Tapping into our own experiences when composing stories can, at times, take us to some pretty dark places. Cathartic writing is a way to unleash pent up emotions while [...]

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Writing Exercise: Take an Adjective, a Character, and a Place and See What Happens

April 12, 2010

Image by kajvin via FlickrI never been much of a lover. Bathtub gin is my life and the skirts aren’t usually impressed by a true moonshiner. They go more for your pin-stripe wearing rum-runner types. Y’see making liquor is a dirty business. I don’t own a suit. I wear coveralls and a cap and I [...]

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