Author Archives: knlistman

Vanilla, Chocolate, or Bananas Foster

Posted on July 8, 2021 by knlistman

Deciding which flavor of ice cream to order from the twenty types behind the protective glass is a matter of taste. But if you are trying to create a new flavor, it’s best to have others sample it before you … Continue reading →

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In praise of the passive hero

Posted on June 30, 2021 by knlistman

Don’t create a main character who just is passive, watching the other characters without taking charge or getting things done. Also, don’t read books by two of the most famous American authors Herman Melville and F. Scott Fitzgerald because they … Continue reading →

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Not exactly human

Posted on June 25, 2021 by knlistman

While embarking on a new type of writing, creating alternate world fantasy, I rebelled against copying what I already knew. Instead I insisted on creating my own species and giving them my own names. However creative I attempted to be, … Continue reading →

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Simmering the main character

Posted on June 15, 2021 by knlistman

Character development is probably the only way to make a protagonist that is someone else than a flat or stock character. However, this takes time and results in a slower pace of writing, like a stew that must simmer for … Continue reading →

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Nonlinear, when does it work?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by knlistman

At one point when watching a Benedict Cumberbatch movie, my friend commented that this actor must have the requirement that all of his movies or series be nonlinear. At one moment Cumberbatch would be studiously studying a problem in the … Continue reading →

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“Crazy” characters

Posted on June 3, 2021 by knlistman

If you want to write fiction involving mentally ill characters in a realistic way, to show how and why they no longer think clearly, you must get to know real people with real psychiatric disorders. There are many places that … Continue reading →

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Reduction of language

Posted on May 27, 2021 by knlistman

Sometimes, I am fearful for the future of writing. We are not exactly converting to “newspeak,” But, there’s a trend of eliminating some words or even parts of speech from usage. I’ve read questions on a writing forum in which … Continue reading →

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The nature of an epic

Posted on May 18, 2021 by knlistman

Before “epic” became a name used by companies to suggest their fame, it was a type of  poem. A long one describing the exploits of heroes and often involving the rise of a nation. The poetic meter made memorization of … Continue reading →

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Traveling towards the novel

Posted on May 10, 2021 by knlistman

Story tellers usually start small. I did this with little sketches referred to as flash fictions, often under 500 words. I won money in contests and published some of these. I began receiving the response, ‘this intrigues me but I … Continue reading →

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The secret to naming characters

Posted on May 4, 2021 by knlistman

Writers seek every secret advantage that they can to make characters appealing. Choosing a good name for the character is supposed to confer one of those advantages. The only rules I see for naming a fictional person is to make … Continue reading →

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