by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 7, 2015 | Writing
“My 16 years in radio drama has influenced me. You only have 45 minutes, and 7000 words, to tell a story, so every scene has to have a point.” —Rachel JoyceMost novelists who have a scene checklist look for at least:A goalA conflictIncreased motivation/stakes.The Who,...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 30, 2015 | Writing
A man walks into a bookstore. “Where’s the self-help section?” he asks the clerk. She shrugs and replies, “If I tell you, won’t that defeat the purpose?” —AnonymousJan Elder is my guest today. She shares tips with us about a subject I’d like to master. Humor in...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 23, 2015 | Writing
“You write about what you know, and you write about what you want to know.” —Joyce Maynard I wrote Calculated Risk mostly from what I, or my husband, know. With curiosity and research, we can learn much about a subject. But often: It’s easier to create a character...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 16, 2015 | Writing
“The glory of the protagonist is always paid for by a lot of secondary characters.” —Tony Hoagland Most fiction writers have heard that the purpose of secondary characters is to support a main character. One of their jobs is to help flesh out a main character’s...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 9, 2015 | Writing
“Coincidence cannot replace motivation.” — Debra Dixon I’ve been reading Debra Dixon’s GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Her discussion about coincidences spoke to me. I wanted a scene between my hero and his widowed sister-in-law, the heroine, concerning an ugly...
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