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Babylon 5’s One Key to Character Arcs

One way. There just might

One way. There just might be one irresistible way to track and reveal how a character evolves—and make the most of how that arc drives the whole


Writing a Character Arc – Through Other Characters

If the heart of a story i

If the heart of a story is the conflicts it puts a character through, and especially the

The High Road

The High Road’s Book Trailer

I love book trailers… b

I love book trailers… but I hate videos, or at least how easily they can end up padding themselves out without a real reason for the extra minutes.


Darth Vader Missed It and Dracula Never Tried – Character Plot Twists that Matter

What single choice could

What single choice could make a story? Sure, we writers have dozens of strengths we might weave into a tale, but could there be one clear dec


Action Stories, to Scale – Lessons from Netflix’s Daredevil

Devil may, devil may, dev

Devil may, devil may, devil may care How many devils does Daredevil dare?   I’ve finally started watching the Netfli


Character Interview with Angie Dennard (THE HIGH ROAD)

To celebrate the release

To celebrate the release of The High Road next week, here’s a character interview with its heroine. For its companion piece (also set arou

Launching soon

The High Road release – November 12th

“Don’t look down. Loo

“Don’t look down. Look up.” In four weeks, on November 12th, you’ll be able to do just that. The High Road will be releas


Finishing a book – thoughts

How does it feel to have

How does it feel to have a book completed, finally? A bit déjà vu, for one thing. A couple of springs ago I set dow


You Only Get One First Time – First Book equals Best Book?

Is the first book of a se

Is the first book of a series the best book, or is it something else that that book has going? It’s a question that’s been on my mind a lot, no


No blog this week

I won’t be writing anyt

I won’t be writing anything this week, while I deal with a family emergency. For everyone who’s given me their support on this, thank you. Your th

The High Road

When The High Road started on a Tower – a Deleted Opening Scene

Can an opening scene be t

Can an opening scene be too… distinctive? There’s a line writers love to quote, that when a piece of writing doesn’t work we need to “kill


Whispered Secrets and Recorded Magic

It can be a first step to

It can be a first step to telling a story that shows more than the obvious, and one I always look for on a page—and kick myself if one of my own sce