“I went to confer a favour and you will go to ask one. If they are proud you will be on the right side.” —Henry James as Mrs. Prest, “The Aspern Papers” Henry James was a writer of the first order, with an understanding of character astonishing in its depth,… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Inflicting cause-&-effect upon your reader with Henry James”
Category: Art & Craft of Fiction magazine
Pulp Rag: Crafting an impossible plot with Maria Dermout
“All of us, always, when we’re young, have to hold something for those who are old, and we drop it and want to get away, and draw a ship in the sand to reach a new country, and we always forget the ballast—there is no ballast but the earth of… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Crafting an impossible plot with Maria Dermout”
Pulp Rag: Joining the gang
So I’m linking today to Donald Maass and his free book The Career Novelist, in which he asks first and foremost: are you writing for approval? or are you writing for the sake of writing? But here on Pulp Rag I’m going to get into yet a third reason: to… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Joining the gang”
Pulp Rag: Molding and being molded
We’ve talked about the quest. Now let’s talk about the relationship novel. People getting in trouble alone—People getting in trouble with others. The two stories there are to tell. There’s a legend that after Faulkner left Hollywood someone found a piece of paper in the garbage can by his desk…. Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Molding and being molded”
Pulp Rag: Aiming past ecstasy
The ultimate aim of the quest must be neither release nor ecstasy for oneself, but the wisdom and power to serve others. —Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, via Kathryn Estrada So let’s talk about the quest plot structure. Because writing itself is a quest, and if you don’t know… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Aiming past ecstasy”
Pulp Rag: Planting a suspicion, revealing a glory
A week or so ago I posted an essay on hook-development-climax that was almost entirely quotes from great works. I quoted hooks. And I quoted climaxes. I would have quoted development, but my fingers got tired. I wanted you to see exactly what constitutes a hook (why it’s short!) and… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Planting a suspicion, revealing a glory”
Pulp Rag: Going beyond the beyond
Have you ever seen the movie Flatliners? I’m normally not into horror movies—I get grossed out just by squashed bugs—but I love that movie. I love the concept of what’s beyond the beyond. . . Read the full essay on Pulp Rag.
Pulp Rag: Mining yourself
There are no new stories, only new perspectives. Has anyone ever told you that?. . . Read the full essay on Pulp Rag.
Pulp Rag: Touching your reader’s core with resonance
Let’s talk resonance. Kathryn brought up a good point in the comments on that last post, Loving in the time of cholera. I was ranting about not introducing a pivotal character too late in your story, and she wanted to know: “When is too late too late?”. . . Read… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Touching your reader’s core with resonance”
Pulp Rag: Loving in the time of cholera
I have this writer friend whom I love to death, but the guy has dislexia like nobody’s business, plus he doesn’t think of himself as an intellectual. He’s great if one of you has to climb a drainpipe to break into an upstairs apartment in the middle of a blistering… Read more“<em>Pulp Rag:</em> Loving in the time of cholera”