Category Archives: Writer’s resource

Discussion a range of topics for those interested in improving their writing skills

More to a Name than I Imagined

Posted on December 21, 2023 by knlistman

The statue pictured is a highly stylized likeness of Jehanne Darc, which is displayed all over France even in areas far from her homeland of Domrémy. Those few words not in “normal” English may convince a reader that they really … Continue reading →

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How Can Writing Not Be “Telling?”

Posted on December 6, 2023 by knlistman

I find the “show don’t tell” adage for writers a curious contradiction. Unless you are writing a movie script that will be produced, everything that you record is actually told to the reader. Writing is very abstract, so providing this … Continue reading →

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Writing by the Book

Posted on November 30, 2023 by knlistman

There are sets of questions that writers can answer to create different kinds of stories which are used for psychological thrillers or horror. There are also guidelines to writing romance by the beat. Search “formulas for writing a book” on … Continue reading →

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From Music to Words

Posted on November 23, 2023 by knlistman

My first experience with music as an inspiration for writing occurred in the summer between high school and college. I lay in bed at night listening to the radio and trying to go to sleep when a pop song with … Continue reading →

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Grasping at Ideas

Posted on November 9, 2023 by knlistman

Books exist that relate the basics of writing stories: how to create plots that follow specific beats and pacing, how to develop characters and throw continual problems at them, how to use settings to enhance your story. But, all this … Continue reading →

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Writing with a Divided Mind

Posted on November 2, 2023 by knlistman

In the 1930’s, an Oberlin College English major named Roger W. Sperry worked at a campus cafe and provided transportation for a physically disabled psychology professor. Sitting in on luncheons and meetings among eminent psychologists introduced him to a new … Continue reading →

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Writing What You Don’t Know

Posted on October 26, 2023 by knlistman

Writing what I know makes the presupposition that I possess an intimate knowledge of events surrounding my own life. However, this knowledge is so specific to me that it may not reflect what others knew or thought at that same … Continue reading →

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Writing and Age

Posted on September 14, 2023 by knlistman

As writers get older and improve at their skill, they sometimes bemoan the lost years of youth—time when they had more energy and yet were not writing. There are excuses that we give ourselves. Getting an education, working to pay … Continue reading →

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Who Are the Grammar Police?

Posted on September 7, 2023 by knlistman

As I perused research about grammar police, I found one study with a conclusion that I had already deduced myself. No matter how much of a thought provoking story or essay that I create, the people who notice every misspelling … Continue reading →

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How Monumental Should Fantasy Heroes Be?

Posted on August 10, 2023 by knlistman

Fantasy provides a kind of escapism for young adults (and even some older adults). Characters come from a less technological era, in which a teenager could be considered an adult capable of making all their own decisions. The popular fantasy … Continue reading →

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