http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:17:31 -0700 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:16:41 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Using-historical-characters-in-your-novel?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards Historical fiction can get a jolt of recognition and period authenticity when you allow your fictional characters to interact with real life figures from your historical era. It's a device that's been used in classic fic... Fiction Craft Character Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:16:41 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Using-historical-characters-in-your-novel?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d13-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Mad-Men?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner From the Mad Men opening credit sequenceI watch way too much TV, which I won't apologize for. It passes the time in the evenings, and doesn't demand much in return. But this week I've had a hard time drumming up any enthusiasm for NCIS, or CSI or De... Character What you can learn Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:41:06 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d13-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Mad-Men?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Fiction-devices-Giving-away-the-ending-or-what-you-can-learn-from-Titanic?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner A visual history of Titanic's Gloria Stuart Love Story does it, as mentioned yesterday. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love does it. Titanic famously does it, and that's an interesting case. A cartoonist, at the time of the movie's release, pictur... Fiction Craft Plot What you can learn Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:16:15 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Fiction-devices-Giving-away-the-ending-or-what-you-can-learn-from-Titanic?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d8-Great-Beginnings-Monday-Erich-Segal?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards What can you say about a 40 year old novel/film that won't die?   What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died? This line has become famous as perhaps the corniest, sappiest. kitschiest openings ever ... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:16:20 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d8-Great-Beginnings-Monday-Erich-Segal?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d7-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Count-Leo-Tolstoy?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards More What you can learn about writing The unreliable narrator is a potent but tricky device in fiction. To use it effectively, you have to stay outside the character, and be aware of his self-delusion, but at the... What you can learn Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:43:46 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d7-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Count-Leo-Tolstoy?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d1-Turning-your-book-proposal-into-a-website?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner From Boria Sax's web page Why not make a web site of your book proposal? That's what historian/folklorist (and published author) Boria Sax has done, and his proposal site is worth more than a look--it's worth some serious study, because it not only ... Proposals Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:07:53 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m11d1-Turning-your-book-proposal-into-a-website?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d29-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Stephanie-Hechtle-Richardson?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Insert photo caption or credit here Stephanie Hechtle Richardson is a young wife and mom in Utah, not a famous published writer, but you can learn from good writing wherever you find it, and this is just a Facebook status update, but it's another wo... Character What you can learn Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:15:27 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d29-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Stephanie-Hechtle-Richardson?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d28-Saying-a-lot-with-just-a-few-words?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner The swing of PrestigeXM Radio's "real jazz" channel has been running the following promo: "The swing of Prestige, the sheen of Verve, the soul of Blue Note."The promo refers to the three great independent jazz labels of the 1950s... Craft Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:37:41 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d28-Saying-a-lot-with-just-a-few-words?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d21-The-Heene-balloon-hoax--and-what-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Edgar-Allan-Poe?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards The story of the little boy adrift in a balloon tore at heartstrings all across the country, and the anger at the father who apparently perpetrated a hoax has been just as intense. But balloon hoaxes have been perpetrate... Fiction Creativity What you can learn Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:30:51 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d21-The-Heene-balloon-hoax--and-what-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Edgar-Allan-Poe?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d20-What-do-you-do-if-your-plot-is-flagging-The-Plot-Doctor-is-IN?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner A guy comes busting through the door with a gun in his hand. Illustration by Tad Richards Shake your plot up. Whatever you're about to have your character do...have her do something else. She's telling the truth -- change to she's lying.She's lyin... Fiction Editorial help Plot Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:19:30 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d20-What-do-you-do-if-your-plot-is-flagging-The-Plot-Doctor-is-IN?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d19-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Tina-Turner?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards Surely, one of the best spoken intros to any recorded song is the one Tina Turner gives to "Proud Mary." She says: Y' know, every now and then, I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy. ... Craft What you can learn Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:25:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d19-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Tina-Turner?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d17-Finish-that-novel?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Don't get it right -- get it written. My friend George Ernsberger had that motto up above his typewriter (yes, writers once used those medieval torture devices), and is one of the best pieces of advice a writer can have. How do you f... Fiction Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:07:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d17-Finish-that-novel?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d15-Should-you-get-an-MFA?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards There are a lot of good reasons for getting into an MFA -- a Master of Fine Arts -- program. It really can help your writing. There's no guarantee that it will, but you'll be working with people who have had a lot of ex... Mentors Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:38:22 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d15-Should-you-get-an-MFA?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d13-Writing-fiction--surprise-yourself?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad RichardsClassic private eye novelist Raymond Chandler said that whenever he wasn't sure what do next, he had a man come busting through the door with a gun in his hand. Poet Richard Hugo, in his great book The Triggering Town, sa... Fiction Character Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:22:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d13-Writing-fiction--surprise-yourself?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d8-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Nobel-Prize-winner-Herta-Mueller?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards Once again, the prize has gone to an author little known in the United States. Amazon lists one title of hers in English translation, and it's out of stock. Of Rumanian stock, although she writes in German, Mueller's pr... Finding Subjects Fiction What you can learn Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:04:16 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d8-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-Nobel-Prize-winner-Herta-Mueller?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d6-The-New-York-Public-Library-comes-through-for-New-York-history-writers?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards We deliver! Click on the "Subscribe to email" button above, and you'll receive an email each time  a new article appears in NY Writing Careers Examiner. The more a historian, or a historical novelist, kno... Research Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:12:31 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d6-The-New-York-Public-Library-comes-through-for-New-York-history-writers?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d3-The-Google-case-and-copyright-law?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Oliver Twist  Copyright law is in a weird state these days. Thanks to the Sonny Bono Mickey Mouse law, copyright protection for published works now extends for nearly a century (Sonny, as a congressman, made sure that Disney's early creations w... Books Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:57:35 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d3-The-Google-case-and-copyright-law?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d2-Fiction-devices-Deus-ex-machina?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad Richards What is a Deus ex Machina? Deus ex Machina is a Latin phrase meaning "God from a machine," a supernatural force that steps out of nowhere -- or, in some early Greek tragedies, is lowered down onto the stag... Fiction Craft Plot Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:36:12 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m10d2-Fiction-devices-Deus-ex-machina?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m9d28-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-topless-choreographers?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner "An Affair of Honor" by Emile Bayard Q: When its all said and done, do you feel that you lose control of your characters in a way? Does your perception of them change over time? Do you find them doing things you didn't forsee or plan? Do t... Fiction Craft Character What you can learn Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:20:35 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m9d28-What-you-can-learn-about-writing-from-topless-choreographers?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Exploring-different-facets-of-your-fictional-characters?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner Illustration by Tad RichardsHow do you develop your characters, scenarios, or the main ideas for your writing? How do you test out different ideas for characters, for example?There actually are ways to test out different ideas for characters.Here's ... Fiction Creativity Character Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:43:19 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Exploring-different-facets-of-your-fictional-characters?cid=exrss-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner