by admin | Jul 19, 2017 | Writing
Several of the QM staff were recently on a panel entitled “So You Want to be a Writer,” where we tried the old “scared straight” approach to save aspiring authors from this life. Not sure we did a very good job. Anyway, it made we think about why somebody would choose...
by admin | Jul 4, 2017 | Books, Writing
Our writing will always be shaped by our values, our opinions and our politics. That’s inevitable. It’s even more evident in fantasy or s/f where we are creating a world of our own, not just showing our current one through our lens. It’s very tempting to write a story...
by admin | May 18, 2017 | Books, publishing, Writing
Last month I talked about what makes a great hero. This month I decided to look at the other side of the coin. What makes a really memorable villain? If the hero’s job is to give you somebody to root for, to invest in, then the villains job is to provide the...
by admin | Apr 19, 2017 | publishing, Writing
What makes an effective hero? You know what, that word is too loaded. What makes an effective protagonist? Some people will insist that the protagonist be likable. I don’t think that’s really true. We have a stable full of what used to be called anti heroes running...
by admin | Mar 23, 2017 | Writing
Series are a double edged sword. If you are an author or publisher who depends on sales of your books, series are the way to go. Readers who like one book in a series will generally buy more, so once you land a reader, it’s much easier to sell to him or her again than...
by admin | Feb 22, 2017 | Books, Writing
As authors, we control the things that happen to our characters. We put them through the wringer, because we need to show what they are made of, how they react and change when tested. It wouldn’t be much of a story without a conflict, an obstacle to overcome,...
