Author Archives: knlistman

The appeal of the unlikable

Posted on March 30, 2019 by knlistman

In the search to construct a likable character, amateur authors often forget that the major character needs flaws. When authors want to escape this world by imagining themselves as the person that everyone adores, this adulation occurs only within the … Continue reading →

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What’s in Style in Words?

Posted on March 9, 2019 by knlistman

Adolescents are known for following fads in fashion. Buying clothes which they wouldn’t dare be seen in the next year. Only, I’m seeing styles that keep coming back. The tendency towards fads has moved on into the world of books. … Continue reading →

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Writing the car wreck

Posted on March 2, 2019 by knlistman

Imagine a movie scene from the seventies or eighties– a car veers out of control over the edge of a cliff  and tumbles end-over-end finally exploding  at the bottom of the ravine. We’ll never know who that unfortunate driver was. … Continue reading →

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Mastering the ambiguous character

Posted on February 16, 2019 by knlistman

Recently I started reading two different stories with a peculiar similarity. In one the romantic male lead had olive skin, and dark hair and eyes. The other had tanned skin and raven black hair–both variations of tall, dark and handsome. … Continue reading →

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Kick starting a story

Posted on February 9, 2019 by knlistman

Many writers believe that most readers will only read a novel that grabs their attention from the first page. A dramatic episode must unfold in the first paragraph. I witnessed a workshop in which writers were coached to do just … Continue reading →

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Present tense prose

Posted on February 2, 2019 by knlistman

Since the popularity of The Hunger Game series and the awards won by All the Light We Cannot See, a trend is fiction is the use of present tense. This style is touted as making the character’s actions more intimate … Continue reading →

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Stories for the new stars

Posted on December 31, 2018 by knlistman

Walking beneath the of faces of stars glowing from two story tall billboards, I glanced down at the stars embedded into the side walk—at least when they were not covered by the feet of the crowds on Sunset Strip. Above … Continue reading →

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The strong female character

Posted on December 23, 2018 by knlistman

Recently, I read three short stories dealing with female characters of different strengths. None of them exactly fit the common meme of the female warrior—who can take on man larger than her and physically defeat him while remaining stoically detached … Continue reading →

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How do you end an never-ending story?

Posted on December 9, 2018 by knlistman

Stories do not always require a flesh and blood antagonist, or even a spectral one. They do not have to end with the discovery of who perpetrated the crime or the demise of the villain. A plot can trace the … Continue reading →

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What is the bad guy really thinking?

Posted on December 1, 2018 by knlistman

Do you recall the campy original Batman series in which the villain de jour always explained his detailed plan for the crime as Batman was slowly moving towards a not so sure death? Is there a problem with adding the villain’s … Continue reading →

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