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Musing About Writer’s Block

May 27, 2021 Paul Leave a comment

There is an ongoing debate about the reality of writer’s block. One author, Mercedes Lackey, wrote: “There is no such…

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Using the Weather

April 21, 2021 Paul Leave a comment

An old standby that I think works pretty well, if not overdone, is to use the weather to reflect the…

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Foreshadowing

March 17, 2021 Paul Leave a comment

I’m a great believer in foreshadowing. Done well, at an appropriate time and with subtlety, it positions the reader to…

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Changing Genres

February 15, 2021 Paul 2 Comments

I had been characterizing myself as a mystery writer, because that’s what I thought I was writing. Development, my first…

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To Murder or Not to Murder

January 25, 2021 Paul Leave a comment

Does a good mystery require a murder or other equally serious crime? The genre of mystery writing is replete with…

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Act Naturally

January 4, 2021 Paul Leave a comment

For weeks now, if not longer, I have been trying to wedge my Empty Luck characters into pre-planned actions that…

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On the Use and Misuse of Adverbs

December 7, 2020 Paul 3 Comments

One of the first injunctions writers receive is to avoid the use of adverbs. Eliminate them all, if possible, we’re…

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Heightening tension

November 23, 2020 Paul Leave a comment

Any novel needs dramatic tension, but mysteries and thrillers need it even more than most.  Tension, something unresolved and threatening…

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How do you get rid of a bad guy?

November 9, 2020 Paul 5 Comments

I have been wrestling with this dilemma. I have a particularly powerful antagonist in Empty Luck. He is fully capable…

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Incorporating the Senses

October 26, 2020 Paul 2 Comments

Recently, I was watching an episode of “Breaking Bad,” the Netflix series about a high school chemistry teacher who becomes…

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