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Author Archives: knlistman
Picking the wrong recipe
How often have you seen movies used as examples on how to write a novel? It’s a shortcut authors employ because familiarity with movies tend to be greater than books. Movies only consume an hour or two of our lives … Continue reading
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The recipe for a boring book
Recently I read a description of a street scene which included the cry of a woman as she hawked hot banh minh. The very use of the word “hawked” which denotes selling goods on the street and banh minh, which … Continue reading
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Unnerving new genres
Slipstream refer to airwaves around an object that is moving ahead you. Move into slipstream–if you have enough nerve to follow another vehicle that closely–and your travel will become faster and easier. Slipstream is also a writing style. It is … Continue reading
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Please make me think
Science fiction in films was once an outlet to comment on society, often with a critical view, such as Fahrenheit 451 and Silent Running. As recently as ten years ago I was intrigued by the British Science Fiction film, Moon, … Continue reading
After the fall
The term post-apocalyptic brims with images of ruins, remnants of civilization crumbling around the world. Meanwhile humans a reduced to living like prehistoric hunter gatherers. Honestly, if a novel pictured how life improved for humans after the collapse of civilization, … Continue reading
Dilettante rules
According to modern conventions, Shakespeare made many grammatical errors, and his spelling was inconsistent at best. So people who categorize writers as amateurs if they make any type of spelling or grammar error would certainly have a thumbs down … Continue reading
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Roman replicas
One type of government that keeps appearing in modern science fiction is a replica of the Roman Empire. From the gladiator-like entertainment by the Hunger Games series to the takeover of the Galactic Republic senate by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Story structure, Writer's resource
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The inherent politicism of world building
So, what kind of government will it be? You must choose carefully because whatever your own sentiments about whatever type is depicted will become apparent. This is an inescapable consequence of having the freedom to leave reality behind in your … Continue reading
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The three little worlds
The places of the imagination must have some semblance to earth, or we are confused by the nonsense as we try to take in an alternate world. Usually there is one difference—one factor that is altered to set the ball … Continue reading
The foundation of world building
Originally posted on Write about what?:
As a child, the stories that fascinated me the most were set in other lands. As an adult, reading passages that describe an unknown world still intrigues me. Simply throwing me into a story…
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Write about what? 