Tag Archives: Writing

The Power of Laughter

Posted on October 5, 2025 by knlistman

Evidently girls between the ages of 11 and 18 all over the world laugh more than any other group. They even laugh when nothing is particularly amusing. However, the very sound of an initial giggle seems to generate the impulse … Continue reading →

Posted in Laughter and humor, Manipulation, Persuasion | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Not AI?

Posted on June 22, 2025 by knlistman

I write under a curse that requires me to experiment and revise as I create. Despite considering ideas, creating outlines to guide me and re-reading my initial work to improve it, the quality of my writing is not consistent. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Creativity, Ideas for writing, Novels, Story structure, Teaching writing skills, Trends in books, Writing trends | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Physiology of Love and Fear

Posted on May 19, 2025 by knlistman

The demand for writing from the character’s point of viewpoint is increasing. Sights, sounds, textures and tastes should reflect the perception of the character. But, what about physiological reactions? These descriptions capture the racing heart and euphoria, or the rise … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas for writing, Literary devices, Showing versus telling, Trends in books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Catches My Attention in a Book?

Posted on April 29, 2025 by knlistman

We are supposed to judge books by their covers or by the blurbs and by the author’s name. I have favorite books by authors who names I have forgotten. I willing to look at I work with and out of … Continue reading →

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Writing and the Stock Market

Posted on February 28, 2025 by knlistman

All ideas have been done before. It’s basically impossible not to reuse one. If it hasn’t been done before, the idea will make almost no sense to anyone. That defeats the purpose of using it. Conformists want ideas that are … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Generation X, Ideas for writing, Literature, Millennials, Style and voice, Trends in books, Zoomers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What are Looks in a Story?

Posted on January 21, 2025 by knlistman

If I describe one of my protagonists as chubby with a large pyramid-shaped nose, fat eyelids and thin hair, I believe I’ve indicated she is not attractive. So, she is not deluding herself when she says she is ugly. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Story structure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Allowing Ourselves to Grow

Posted on January 2, 2025 by knlistman

Imagine entering a store to buy some clothes for the upcoming year. In the athletic section there’s one style of outfit and it comes in four basic colors that all go together. The same is true for casuals clothes, business … Continue reading →

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Names and Xenophobia

Posted on December 5, 2024 by knlistman

Imagine a reviewer whose major complaint with a fantasy book manuscript was the number of times that words weren’t recognized by MS Word spell check. This person even provided me with the total–all names of people and places within the … Continue reading →

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My Boring Little Life

Posted on November 7, 2024 by knlistman

What dark secrets can I dredge up to reveal that occured during hours of deliberating about the plot? If I promised to tell the audience the deepest secrets of my life and lived up to my promise, they would be … Continue reading →

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Do You Know What Polyandry Means?

Posted on September 19, 2024 by knlistman

If you are familiar with Clint Eastwood’s first movie, a musical called Paint Your Wagon you’d realize that a woman having more than one husband is not a recent idea. If you recognize “polyandry” as an ancient Greek term for … Continue reading →

Posted in Drama and movies, Novels, romance, Story structure | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment