Author Archives: knlistman

Reading the lines… or the space between them?

Posted on May 16, 2024 by knlistman

Reading between the lines doesn’t refer to reading blank space. But, sometimes it is almost as difficult and requires astute attention to pull out what is not explicitly stated in the text. How much should an author expect a reader … Continue reading →

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Does the Box Really Matter?

Posted on May 2, 2024 by knlistman

I encountered a young writer who claimed that he always thought “outside the box.” Although many might consider inside the box as a small confining area, much of what we learn to do follows standards, laws, and rules. For example, … Continue reading →

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My POV Journey

Posted on April 18, 2024 by knlistman

Initially, when I was eight years old, I started writing in the third person point of view and all my characters were animals. Did I mention that Black Beauty was one of my favorite books? A few years later, I … Continue reading →

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Too Much Info

Posted on April 5, 2024 by knlistman

Humankind’s love affair with technology is not a new development. At the beginning of the twentieth century, advances in industrial technology were touted as the solutions to problems of crime, poverty, ignorance and the boredom of ordinary daily life. La … Continue reading →

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Journeying away from the Hero’s Journey

Posted on March 21, 2024 by knlistman

Want a plot that’s been used successfully thousands of times? Research Campbell’s monomyth or simply read Christopher Vogler’s book on the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is an idea manufactured as a result of popular literature from Greco-Roman times. However, … Continue reading →

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Writing for Therapy

Posted on March 7, 2024 by knlistman

The idea of writing as a therapy is not new. Being able to bare these struggles of the soul on a page could make a person feel better—or worse. My desire to write creates more stress than relief, so I … Continue reading →

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A Matter of Ego

Posted on February 22, 2024 by knlistman

No one really writes a novel without considering the plot beforehand. Nor do they outline the events so tightly that they know each step the protagonist will take and never vary from this initial plan. So why do we argue … Continue reading →

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The Definition of a Classic

Posted on February 8, 2024 by knlistman

First, you must understand that there is no one definition of a classic work. There is the assumption that the work is well-known. But, in which periods has it gained fame? If it is a current written work, will this … Continue reading →

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Why Don’t They Like My Writing?

Posted on January 26, 2024 by knlistman

Beta reviewers or the local literary critique group may not be fond of what an author has written. However, they often don’t know how to explain what they dislike. The problem could be based on style. Perhaps, the language sounds … Continue reading →

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Climbing over the Block

Posted on January 18, 2024 by knlistman

What is writer’s block? For me it is not a dearth of ideas, but a multitude of mediocre ones. If I push through this initial uninspired feeling and write, eventually a creative thought or two should appear. Sometimes I stretch … Continue reading →

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