Author Archives: knlistman

Making criticism constructive

Posted on February 15, 2021 by knlistman

Using bad writing advice as gatekeeping to keep some people outside of writing circles seemed like a strange accusation to me. It was not something that I considered before, but as I continued to read the article, I recognized behavior … Continue reading →

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Your darlings may not deserve to die

Posted on February 9, 2021 by knlistman

When Arthur Quiller-Couch lectured on the art of writing at Cambridge in 1914, he uttered a phrase repeated frequently among authors today. Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before … Continue reading →

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Showing too much

Posted on February 1, 2021 by knlistman

Carefully polishing my piece for a writing critique, I attempted to picture every detail of a tense scene. Two indigenous boys scavenged through a village ravaged by mudslides, only to encounter unscrupulous men searching for labors to conscript. The boys … Continue reading →

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Did I Miss Something?

Posted on January 25, 2021 by knlistman

Decades ago, in a high school English classroom, one of my better students sat reading Bear Island, a thriller by Alistair MacLean. He asked out loud, “Why can’t we read books like this rather than the stuff we read in … Continue reading →

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Don’t ignore response to a tragedy

Posted on January 18, 2021 by knlistman

Anyone who sees or hears a tragedy cannot remain untouched by it. They can attempt to stifle or ignore it, but there will be subtle signs. When that tragedy strikes a person directly, the signs will be even greater, and … Continue reading →

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Pulling new genres out of the hat

Posted on January 11, 2021 by knlistman

The nineteenth century witnessed the birth of the sensation novel. It drew on melodramatic writing about the insane and the criminal elements in society as well as gothic and romantic genres. Romance and realism, which had been opposing types of … Continue reading →

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The key to polite introductions

Posted on January 4, 2021 by knlistman

The first chapter described a woman, now alone, returning to a memory-loaded place. As I read I could easily absorb the environment and still have the mental capacity to consider her conflicted feelings. Would her journey bring healing or more … Continue reading →

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Remember me?

Posted on December 28, 2020 by knlistman

In the attempt to make characters memorable, some authors make them unreal. Sometimes bizarre to the point of being incomprehensible, and sometimes too talented. The complexities of real humans might overwhelm some readers but that is exactly where to start. … Continue reading →

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Writing rules to break

Posted on December 21, 2020 by knlistman

First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience. The best writers often had to transitioned from one culture to another. The discovery that their own world was not the only one provided them with a more unique voice. … Continue reading →

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I’d like you to meet my newest character

Posted on December 14, 2020 by knlistman

Are you tentative about introducing new characters? Afraid that too much attention in creating newcomers will allow them to overshadow your main characters? A variety of decisions must be made: How fast to introduce characters, how much detail to give, … Continue reading →

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