Category: Writing Exercises
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Book Review: ‘How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes & Happily Ever Afters’
How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes & Happily-Ever-Afters (2019) By: The Editors at Avon Books Publisher: Morrow Gift, an imprint of William Morrow Although I’m not a romance novelist, I find myself diving into the delicate art of crafting love stories within my novel, Reunion: Coda. While…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Adapting a ‘Jim and Marty’ Scene from Page to Screen
Adapting stories from one medium to another is a tricky proposition, especially when you choose to make a movie or TV “limited series” based on a beloved book, novella, or short story. Even when a film adaptation, like The Hunt for Red October, hits it big at the box office, you’ll often hear, “Yeah, but…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Maddie Fends Off a Matchmaker! (Writing Exercise)
Writing As a Craft: Keeping Secrets? Author’s Note: This passage is based on one of the many writing exercises from the book How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes, and Happily Ever Afters. In this exercise, I wrote in the third person to practice creating engaging dialogue and…
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The Journey of a Storyteller: Embracing Challenges in Writing
Midday/Early Afternoon, Friday, November 22, 2024, Miami, Florida “Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.” ― Mark Twain I am, first and foremost, a storyteller. Crafting and sharing a good tale – whether presented as a blog post, a short story, a novella, a poem, a screenplay, or (since I’ve been working on one…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Got Any Hobbies?
Jim Garraty, a history professor, balances his time between teaching and diverse hobbies like building model kits and playing classic computer games. His girlfriend Maddie, a pianist and stamp collector influenced by her diplomatic family, shares a deep intellectual connection with him, rooted in a mutual appreciation for history and music.
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Jim’s Backstory (The Teen Years Before ‘Reunion: A Story’)
Jot down the backstory of your hero – what made him the way he is? What about him can and should change? What can’t? Since Jim Garraty’s character develops between the Present Day sections of Reunion: A Story (February 1998) and Reunion: Coda (February 2000), we will focus on “teenage Jim” as introduced in the…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Five Character Traits – Jim Garraty
The Reunion Duology follows Jim Garraty through two significant life stages: his teenage years in high school and his mid-30s as a professor. Key characteristics of Jim include intelligence, compassion, humor, reserve, and sentimentality, reflecting his growth and emotional struggles. Each phase brings unique qualities that shape his character.
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Of Brothers…and Sisters
Jim Garraty, an only child, forms a close bond with his friend Mark, who plays a protective older brother role. Mark’s relationship with his younger sister Leslie is mostly loving. Maddie had a strong bond with her younger sister Libby, who excelled in music before her premature death, leaving Maddie deeply affected.
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On the Effect of Bad Burritos on a Novelist’s Life…and a Writing Exercise with a Special Twist
On a sunny but chilly day in New Hampshire, the author shares their recovery from an adverse reaction to a burrito. Amidst challenges, progress on the novel “Reunion: Coda” is hindered, but the writer finds pride in a meaningful journal entry. The book’s layered elements of romance, coming-of-age, and fiction are explored.
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On Writing and Storytelling: Shared Traits of Protagonists
On Writing and Storytelling: Writing Exercise – Shared Traits of Protagonists Embark on a Journey of Shared Souls Dive into the heart of storytelling where two lives intertwine across time and space. In this writing exercise, we explore the common threads that bind the spirits of our protagonists, Jim Garraty and Maddie. From the sun-kissed…
A Certain Point of View, Too 