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Structure: It's not just for breakfast anymore - Schrodinger's Stories
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Structure: It's not just for breakfast anymore. Do you remember how, in high school, the kids in honors English would sometimes take an attitude about the VoTech kids? We read Hemingway and do Ibsen in drama club, and wasn't. What could the people who spend all day in wood shop possibly know about Art? Makes you want to reach back in time and smack them, doesn't it? Here's someone who does both things well, word craft and structure:. Dead Things by John Tormey. Structure is, of course, important to ficti...
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Let the Readers Feel Smart - Schrodinger's Stories
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Let the Readers Feel Smart. But don't make your characters stupid. I'd credit this if I could, but I can't remember who said it: Give readers just enough clues to figure out the next step or the answer to a problem in your story. Just before the characters do. It makes the readers feel smart and keeps them engaged. I think this is great advice, although I don't know that every book needs to follow it. What I. I read. I write. And sometimes I talk about it. My stories appear in these).
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Endings are Hard! - Schrodinger's Stories
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Choreographing the climax of this story is like planning a ballet. Or the Normandy invasion. Who shoots whom, who dies of snakebite or spontaneous combustion or a frying pan to the head. How to get the main character out alive, since she has to say the line that incorporates the story's title. I have charts. . I read. I write. And sometimes I talk about it. My stories appear in these). Issue #20 - free to read). Issue #14 - free to read). Issue #25 - free to read). The Far Side of the World:.
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Editing Karma - Schrodinger's Stories
http://torahcottrill.weebly.com/blog/editing-karma
I recently gave feedback to an editing client about the interplay of title, theme, and ending. Then, last weekend, I received a revision request for a short story I submitted to a magazine almost nine months ago:. Not sure if it accomplishes enough in the end, but it's tightly written with good action and an interesting idea. I think it's lacking a core of deeper meaning; the writer could dig a bit deeper and really say something.". Time to take my own editing medicine! My stories appear in these).
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Blog Archives - Schrodinger's Stories
http://torahcottrill.weebly.com/blog/archives/12-2014
A World Where No One's Good is Great. On Netflix, and I can't tell you how much I love it. Interestingly, I recently ran into some friends who really, really didn't like it. You know what I think the difference is? You have to be a little coldblooded to enjoy watching bad guys beat the crap out of even worse guys. Personally, I find it very gratifying. I read. I write. And sometimes I talk about it. My stories appear in these). Issue #20 - free to read). Issue #14 - free to read). Create a free website.
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Falling - Schrodinger's Stories
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Rule #3: Feet up for landing. Finally, three hours after we'd left the house for the drive to Snohomish, two hours after we'd watched the brief, encouraging safety video ("Smile! Breathe through your teeth during freefall. Keep your arms out of the way until your tandem instructor taps you. Maintain the hands-out-feet-up arch until the chute opens. Hold your feet up as you land; your instructor's legs must touch the ground first. And have fun! Cold, and suddenly the sky was very big. 1, 2, 3! I could fee...
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Blog Posts - Schrodinger's Stories
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I had to quit reading an indie book the other day because, despite finding a few narrative difficulties in the beginning, I wanted to know what happened to the main characters next. Then, in the middle, the writing went from workmanlike but readable to concrete-feet awful. Too bad. The premise was interesting. But, fortunately, I downloaded. By Joe Abercrombie, which was so good I'm still jealous. I enthusiastically recommend both! Fortunately, despite its constitutional right, the bear was not armed.
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Blog Archives - Schrodinger's Stories
http://torahcottrill.weebly.com/blog/archives/05-2015
Rule #3: Feet up for landing. Finally, three hours after we'd left the house for the drive to Snohomish, two hours after we'd watched the brief, encouraging safety video ("Smile! Breathe through your teeth during freefall. Keep your arms out of the way until your tandem instructor taps you. Maintain the hands-out-feet-up arch until the chute opens. Hold your feet up as you land; your instructor's legs must touch the ground first. And have fun! Cold, and suddenly the sky was very big. 1, 2, 3! I could fee...
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Blog Archives - Schrodinger's Stories
http://torahcottrill.weebly.com/blog/archives/03-2015
Structure: It's not just for breakfast anymore. Do you remember how, in high school, the kids in honors English would sometimes take an attitude about the VoTech kids? We read Hemingway and do Ibsen in drama club, and wasn't. What could the people who spend all day in wood shop possibly know about Art? Makes you want to reach back in time and smack them, doesn't it? Here's someone who does both things well, word craft and structure:. Dead Things by John Tormey. Structure is, of course, important to ficti...
