Mistakes I Made Before Writing my Novel
There are things I wish I knew before writing my novel, hence I made some mistakes. While there's a ton of advice out there this boils down to personal lessons learned. There's a lot to learn from other people's going around in circles so maybe, just maybe, you won't have to. It occurs to me...
‘Dune’ is Weird and Confusing, and That’s Okay
Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. Paul Atreides. Bene Gesserit. Gom Jabbar. Mentat. Maud’Dib. This list of strange words goes on. Dune is confusing and weird, but lots of world-building fun. If none of it means anything to you, don’t worry. It didn’t mean anything to me either when I first started reading Dune, Frank Herbert’s science...
For Soft Science Fiction That’s Fun to Read
I would categorize Axiom’s End as soft science fiction that’s fun and entertaining to read. I came across it while browsing Barnes and Nobles when I spotted a handwritten note from an employee under the plastic where the price tag normally is. Their recommendation drew my attention.
The Premise
It’s September of the year...
Flash Fiction Example Using Personification
Here is my example of flash fiction using personification with animals. Since you're limited by word count when writing flash fiction, you'll have to use other tools and literary devices (hello, high school language arts!) to get your story across.
Flash Fiction Example: The Raccoon and the Owl
Deep in the Florida preserve lived...
Sampler of Sci-Fi Books From A Military Woman
Here are some sci-fi book picks from a military woman, and that woman happens to be me. That’s not to say these books feature female characters or something. It just means that whatever flavor of military woman I am has influenced this list. I’m limiting candidates based on date of publication in 2021 (I’ll go...
If You’re in the Military You Must Read This Book
Actually, if you’re in the military, or interested in national security, geo-politics, or foreign affairs at all, you must read this book. Military people tucked away in high-level staff sections love to speculate on the threat of China. Authors Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis have confronted that collective sense of forboding with 2034:...
Flash Fiction, Metaphor, and Introducing Synecdoche
Flash fiction and metaphors go well together because metaphor is a great way to introduce an idea to the reader in very few words. Synecdoche is a somewhat related idea in which an object serves as a stand-in for a larger idea. This is used ALL the time in storytelling, and once you know...
Flash Fiction for Excellent Writing Submissions
Some writing competitions ask for flash fiction submission, or excerpts under a certain word count. Flash fiction is great for this because it's an entire contained work that can showcase your creativity. I submitted the flash fiction below for entry to a creative writing course and it was selected among twelve others. Of course,...