In keeping with Dunn Week, I’ve got a guest post up right now on Judy Dunn’s blog, CatsEyeWriter.
You think storytelling is only the province of fiction writers? Think again. All of life is storytelling. Even business bloggers can appeal strongest to their readers. . .with storytelling.
Many of you are already familiar with Larry Brooks’ site, Storyfix, where he teaches writers through his theory of the Six Core Competencies. When he invited me to write this guest post for him I did a little reading up to see where he’s coming from and learned he’s not only strong on structure—as you all know I am—but also on why professionals from other fields, like law and law enforcement, seem to make the switch to successful fiction careers so darn easily.
What do they know that the average aspiring writer doesn’t yet?
That’s today. I know. I’m springing this on you. Sorry about that.
Today, Sunday, 3:00-4:30 Pacific Time, I’ll be talking about exposition on #storycraft on Twitter. I’m the guest speaker. I don’t know what time that is where you are—you’ll have to break out the ole calculator. Just go on Twitter and search for #storycraft. That’ll be us.
I’ve been writing a lot of pieces about exposition on the magazine lately, but not so much on this blog. So here’s your chance! Haven’t you ever wondered what exposition IS? Much less how to use it properly? Tricky little devil, I know. Just like omniscient narrator is, only different. Because they’re not the same thing at all, although they share certain characteristics and goals, and they have a quality that makes them two of the most misunderstood and misused aspects of the craft of fiction out there, especially by beginners.
Are you confused enough? Because I am.
Join us today on Twitter: exposition on #storycraft.
(OH. Almost forgot! The #storycraft folks will be hosting a flash fiction contest on exposition after this chat, over on their site at the Storycraft blog. Judging will be performed by moi. First prize: a freebie downloadable version of my new book The Art & Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner’s Manual, 2010, La Favorita Press.)
Hey, guys! I’m today’s guest poster for Susan Johnston’s insightful blog on freelance writing, the Urban Muse. Check it out. I’m teaching them to write like fiction writers. . .
It’s the week before I’m scheduled to release THE ART & CRAFT OF FICTION: A PRACTITIONER’S MANUAL in e-version, and my head is exploding. I blogged about it today on She Writes, along with an excerpt from my book, which some of you might recognize from last year as the blog post “Returning from the Dead,” now part of my chapter on the very special despair of writing.
I’m the featured guest blogger on She Writes today, talking about indie publishing for their Countdown to Publication. I’ll be the Friday guest blogger there for the next few weeks. You can check in on Fridays or follow my posts.
As the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, 2009, Penultimate kicks off NaNoWriMo with a guest essay. By me.
At a few minutes after midnight, it will be my wedding anniversary. Yes, exactly a few minutes.
Coincidentally, today my husband discovered the most extraordinary interactive site in the world—a comparative illustration of the sizes of the tiniest objects from a coffee bean down to a carbon atom.
And yesterday a glossy black half-grown kitten with gold eyes wandered out of the woods, took one look at my son, and adopted us. My son’s named him Jack—Panther Jack O’Lantern.
Short story author Scott Warrender is a Mentoring Program client. I have done full Copy, Line, & Developmental Editing on a number of short stories for him, the first of which was his poignant fictional memoir of Africa, ''The Boy With the Newsprint Kite,'' now published in the Foundling Review.
Clients’ Books
Bhaichand Patel is the author of two nonfiction books: Chasing the Good Life (Penguin Books India, October, 2006), and Happy Hours (Penguin Books India, October, 2009). I edited Patel's debut novel, When the Streets Were Cold and Dark.
I've edited a number of nonfictionessays for my friend Lucia Orth. (Many years ago, my contribution to Baby Jesus Pawn Shop was simply a peer critique and participation in a standing ovation.)
The poet Chris Ryan is the author of The Bible of Animal Feet (Farfalla Press, 2007). He has recent stories in Pank, Anemone Sidecar, and A Cappella Zoo. I edited Ryan's novel The Ishmael Blade and worked with him on his debut novel Heliophobia and WIP Pogue.
