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Temptations to avoid when writing characters
I’ve had a great time getting to know the characters in my SF novel. A plethora of minor characters run around in my story, but I have three main ones: Bandonn FarPacer-Technology genius; while growing up, forced to fight a war on his home planet; escaped the war, and wants to be an agent for the…
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In honor of fifty years of YA novels
In honor of its fiftieth anniversary, I read The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton again after about twenty-five years. Hinton has been said to single-handedly jump started the YA publishing market. I went through a period of reading YA novels. Most of Hinton’s–That Was Then, This Is Now; Rumble Fish–and tackled Paul Zindel’s books beginning…
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Harmon’s Plot Embryo: A Writer’s Tool for both Outlining and Evaluating
I admit it: I just started watching Community. Yes, I know. Better late than never. I kept hearing how great the show was, but never got around to following it. Well, now, thanks to Hulu, I can binge watch while I’m cleaning house or laundry or whatever. Lately, though, I’ve been hearing about this “Plot…
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I just discovered this neat website for fantasy writers
I came across this online community for writers of fantasy called Mythic Scribes. Here’s how they describe themselves: “Mythic Scribes is a community of fantasy writers who are passionate about storytelling. We provide a platform for new and aspiring authors, as well as a meeting place for writers and fans of the genre. By sharing…
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The Reading Mediums
Several years ago, when I bought my Kindle, I felt like I was betraying the book publishing industry. Maybe I was. I got over it quick, though, because I love the convenience of reading a digital book. Now I read books on my iPad mini either through the Kindle app or through the public library’s…
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Why I’m Not Watching “The Walking Dead” Anymore
I didn’t get into the AMC network show The Walking Dead until its fourth season. Dog sitting for some friends, I binge-watched over a weekend and got hooked. The next season would start in a few weeks, and I couldn’t wait. For the next couple of years I watched TWD faithfully. Then I got rid…
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What I’m Reading …
I have been a fan of Connie Willis for a long time. Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog are two of her books I love. I just finished rereading Doomsday Book for the upteenth time. This is unusually, because only a few books have been written that I read more than once,…
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Christ Simply: Who is this book for?
“Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I’ve heard of the KISS principle for years, and I used it as my guide for creating my new book, Christ Simply. Let’s go back to the beginning: I grew up in church. I attended a Christian university. I took courses in the Bible. I’ve worked for two Christian publishers. I’ve…

