NEW ESSAY: People in Boxes
By Jamie K. Wilson
It has been a little more than 18 years since my husband proposed to me in perhaps the least romantic way possible. But that’s not the story.
We are gamers and science fiction fans, which, as anyone who knows that segment of the population will attest, tend to be WOKE. And most of our friends were indeed Woke (the few exceptions were ex-Marines) and young. This means chaotic lifestyles, lots of partner switching, lots of atypical pairings – or triadings, if that’s a word. I knew three different MMF relationships, and there were always sleeping-around dramas going on somewhere.
In other words, our crowd were not the most maritally stable of people.
Making Virtue Interesting When Writing a Book
By Andrea Widburg
We live in a time when virtue is not considered very interesting. Once upon a time in America, though, virtue was viewed very differently.
In the mid- to late(ish)-19th century, wrote a series of novels centered around young men who were the embodiment of American virtue. They weren’t gentlemen by lineage, they were gentleman by character. In his series of bestsellers, Alger churned out seemingly endless stories about teenagers, or even boys of 10 or 11, who were hard-working, honest, kind, courageous, and invariably willing to take a stand when it come to doing the right thing, no matter the temptations to do the wrong thing.
For the boys and young men across America who couldn’t get enough of Alger’s books, it didn’t matter at all that the plots were cut from the same template or that the heroes were interchangeable. What mattered was that Alger promised a payout on the American dream: If you work hard, are honest, cultivate virtue, and seize opportunity when it offers itself, then you too can make the journey from shoeshine or newspaper boy to a well-paid office clerk with a straight shot to being president of the company one day.
Thoughts about Memory, Myths, and Memoirs
By Andrea Widburg
It seems as if memory — both when it works and when it doesn’t — is in the news a lot today. In the world of science, we’re being told that, if we moisturize our bodies, we may have a better chance of preventing Alzheizmer’s, as well as a host of other illnesses.
Elsewhere we read that, if you apply electrical stimulation to elderly people’s brains, you can revitalize their memory so it’s as if they’re in their 20s again. A lower tech suggestion is just to eat lots of garlic.
I’m Hearing Voices In My Head… and That’s a Good Thing
6 of my Favorite Online “Dialogue Coaches”
By Andrea Widburg
Even though I’ve read thousands of novels over the years (yes, thousands), my first-time status as a novel writer has been showing itself when it comes to writing dialogue. Dialogue seems so easy when you read skilled writers such as Georgette Heyer or Dorothy Sayers. Both of them managed to create entirely distinct characters whose conversation is natural, charming, insightful and, in Georgette Heyer’s case, often laugh-out-loud funny.
Both these authors perfectly illustrate a core principle of novel writing, which is to show it, not tell it. For example, as I noted above, Georgette Heyer can write dialog that is both charming and funny. She doesn’t have to tell you that her characters are witty. They (literally) speak for themselves.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the author who, incapable of writing either charming or witty dialog, fills her characters’ mouths with leaden commonplaces. Then, having left you feeling as if you’re at the world’s most boring office party, she tells you that “Count So-and-So was one of the cleverest people in court” or that “Our hero couldn’t get over how brilliant the object of his desire showed herself to be.” No, the Count was not clever and that desirable object was dull, not brilliant. With dialogue, you just can’t fake it ’til you make it.
Stubborn Characters When Writing… and Knitting
By Andrea Widburg
Although few would guess it, I am in fact a very methodical writer. I always start with an outline, whether it’s a short one that I can hold in my head or a longer one that I have to write out. Over my years as a lawyer, I’ve written thousands of outlines as a predicate to legal briefs and memos. On occasion, I’ll discover that an argument I set up in outline form doesn’t work in prose, but I can usually make it right just by reorganizing my ideas to improve the flow.
Writing a novel is proving to be very different. I came up with a story based upon my family’s experiences in Europe over the course of the latter part of the 19th century and the first two-thirds of the 20th century — and I put it in outline form. I then built up details about each character and put that information into the outline. Lastly, I did the historical research and into the outline went the history too.
Characterization 101: Characterizing Through Surroundings
Part 14 in an ongoing weekly series of writing advice
By Jamie K. Wilson
Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite [at] gmail.com and request an invitation.
Building an Audience While Writing Politically Charged Fiction
Part 13 in an ongoing weekly series of writing advice
By Jamie K. Wilson
Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite [at] gmail.com and request an invitation.
Characterization 101: Characterizing Through Action
Part 12 in an ongoing series
By Jamie K. Wilson
Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite [at] gmail.com and request an invitation.
Scene & Sequel: Thickening the Plot
Part 11 In an Ongoing Series
By Jamie K. Wilson
Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite at gmail.com and request an invitation.
Beats, Said, and Quipped: Who’s Talking?
Part 10 In an Ongoing Series
By Jamie K. Wilson
Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite at gmail.com and request an invitation.
