“Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” This German proverb makes use of the wolf as metaphor for anything we anticipate, making worse than the actuality. Imagine a wolf howling in the night; we fear it even from a long distance when it poses no threat. Humans have a long and sordid history with…
Tag: writing tips
Writing GLBTQ characters
In a guest post on the blog of author Adrian J. Smith, I share my thoughts on writing GLBTQ characters in fiction. I decided to focus on the power of representation. —Excerpt— The power of representation Whether I have one reader or 100,000 readers, I take the power of representation seriously. As authors, we have the…
Exploring wolf references: Run with the wolves
“Run with the wolves” has different meanings based on the context. In the context of the phrase: “If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl”, it is closely associated with a similar phrase, “You can tell a person by his friends/the company he keeps.” The idea is you will behave like “the pack”…
Exploring wolf references: Throw to the wolves
If you throw someone to the wolves, you’ve given him or her over to a terrible fate or abandoned him/her. For example: “The manager threw his employee to the wolves to save his own skin.” In this instance, a person is sacrificed by another to save his/her job. Another popular way to express this sentiment…
Exploring Wolf References: Wolf Down
To “wolf down” means to eat like a wolf, or quickly and in large chunks without chewing well. The phrase is most often used colloquially. This subject was inspired by #WerewolfWednesday, which I hold each week on my Facebook page. Also see: Keep the wolves at bay Lone Wolf Cry Wolf Keep the wolf from the door…
Setting the tone in writing: Weather-related phenomenon
Weather is easy to overlook in fiction unless it pertains purposefully to plot. The elements, however, can convey mood or setting. I think of when I was a child, waiting for the bus in the country. I loved the fog! It was eerie the way it changed my relationship with the world around me. I…
Setting: This Old House
I’ll admit right off that I enjoy setting. I believe that through the place where someone lives and the things that s/he owns, you can learn much about personality. For instance, you probably know the meaning between a designer label and a knock off. If someone has the designer label, that means s/he cares about fashion…
Writing tip: Managing multiple subplots
Tip: Try color-coding your subplots Currently, as a part of NaNoWriMo, I’m working on the second novel in my Runes Trilogy, titled The Wolf in His Arms. The novel continues the plot from the first book, but goes in its own direction and adds a number of interrelated subplots that begin and end throughout the…
On Writing Strong Female Characters
Everyday we’re bombarded with images, videos, and texts telling us how to be and who to be. The worst part: many of them contradict. Especially for women. Case in point: I was recently reading a great novel: suspenseful and well written…a best-seller, in fact. I almost couldn’t finish it, though, because the only lead female…
Telling a book by its cover
Are these truly the 20 most iconic book covers of all time? The list is varied — and shows the importance of a strong cover to attract attention AND help readers guess what might be inside. http://flavorwire.com/206111/the-20-most-iconic-book-covers-ever/
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