Living Outside the Lines
The term Achilles heel refers to a person’s weak spot. It comes from the Greek hero Achilles in the epic poem called The Iliad. Thetis, Achilles’ mother is a nymph. When Achilles was born, she dips him in the river Styx to make him immortal. His heel doesn’t get wet since she is holding him [...]
The setting for my book has the texture of Medieval Times with castles and sword fighting but not all work at the castle is glamorous and exciting. I want to learn more about life behind the scenes. I found a film series I want to share with you called The Worst Jobs in History. There [...]
What makes a character workable in a particular role? How does a writer choose the character types to include in his novel? Do we as the reader expect certain types in fantasy fiction and different ones in historical fiction? Well, there’s always a hero but what about a trickster, or a shadow? We use Tapestry [...]
Did you know a mother hen is willing to die for her chicks? If there’s a fire, she will cover her chicks with her wings and sacrifice herself in an effort to save them. My youngest son is going to his first camp away from home this weekend. It’s a great camp and he’s going with [...]
Recently when an acquaintance of mine heard our litclub was reading The Iliad he said, “ I’m not opposed to books with war in them as long as the war has a purpose. I like The Hunger Games. I can see the need for the turmoil and killing but I see no purpose for the [...]
Writing a novel is a marathon, not the 100 yard dash. I’m a sprinter, not a marathon runner. By nature, I’m a race horse. I like short term projects that I can work fast and furious on and then move on to the next thing. Novel writing is plow horse work. I’m out of my [...]
The Inherited Face of Eve “I won’t avoid God,” Eve says to herself, “if I enjoy the best things. I will still want to be with him even if I become like him. Once we’re equals our relationship will be better.” I take a bite and I am stunned. Sadly, deeply stunned and ashamed. What [...]
My classical literature club met Monday evening and we discussed Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. The project for the book: to rewrite a scene from the novel using a setting and characters from another book, movie or a modern day setting and characters was awesome. Each member read his scene and I [...]
My writing time drifted after our dual trips for the baby’s birth and my mother-in-law’s funeral, Thursday I took time to find my bearing, where I was spending my time that was thwarting my progress in fiction writing, and create a plan to get back on course. When a seaman is blown by the winds of [...]
My plans aren’t going as systematic as I wish. I’m getting a lot of work accomplished but it doesn’t line up with the order of my priorities. Doubt about writing creeps up when life feels like a curvy road instead of a straight path. I hope it’s due to all the travel over the last [...]
