“Not Like the Other Girls”
As this month is Women's History Month, it's a great opportunity to take on one of the most common tropes in fiction for tweens and teens. The "Not Like the…
Sympathy for the Devil: Villains
A discussion of villains, their role in the story, and what makes a villain worthy and worth reading about.
A Historical Drama and a Master Class
What the TV series A French Village can teach us about character development and the cliffhanger.
“…Couldn’t Connect to Your Main Character”
A discussion of a generic rejection phrase that marginalized fiction writers often receive and what it may mean.
Conflicting Advice and Fear
How does a writer deal with conflicting advice about the process or content of a work-in-progress? Mine had to do with fear.
Evil Wins
A discussion of stories in which the villains win, and what they can offer readers, young and old.
My Workshop for the VCFA Young Writers Network, Part 1
The first part of my report on presenting at New Voices School in Brooklyn as part of the new VCFA Young Writers Network.
Work-in-Progress Character Blog Hop, or Made Up People Can Jump Too
As part of a character blog hop, I introduce Tina Aguilar, the protagonist of my forthcoming YA novel, Surviving Santiago.
Thwarted in his quest for ice cream, Patricio finds another kind of refreshment.
Complicating the Minifig: Layered Narrative
In contrast to linear, chronological narrative, a layered narrative plays with time sequence to reveal character bit by bit and to build curiosity and suspense.
Elvis is cool, and Fiona is happy-go-lucky, an attitude that will be tested when she elopes with Elvis and her parents kick her out
Minifigs: Character, Personality, and Action
By keeping the expressions and clothing of my minifigs consistent, I give them identity and personality. Writers must do the same with characters.