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What motivates a good villain?
Villains can be some of my favorite characters . . . Hans Gruber. Saruman. Sauron (of the Silmarillion era) is probably my favorite villain ever. Gaston of Beauty and the Beast is an interesting villain just because, in a lot of ways, he’s an everyman. A narcissist, sure. But an everyman. Lots of different things…
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Two approaches to blogging
I think, if you want to blog well and regularly, without it being a complete time suck, there are probably two main approaches to blogging. Each basic approach offers variations and options, of course, within itself. But for the most part, I think bloggers either: I follow the second approach. I like the consistency and…
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Successfully writing and editing a novel takes a marathon mindset
Now, for most people, especially people who have written or are trying to actually write a novel, this is intuitive and rather obvious. Still, I hold it can be very useful to break down the obvious things that we seldom take the time to pick apart and analyze. There is wisdom there. Reminders. motivations. So,…
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Sunday Reflection: The Still, Small Voice of the Spirit
The first reading today is one of my favorites: When Elijah goes to Mt. Horeb and waits for the Lord to come. So much happens that must have been overwhelming: an earthquake, a fire, a gale. I would read that as: the latest political disaster. An economy on the brink of collapse. The latest celebrity…
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Using social media as an author: THE BAD
There are some real positive aspects to social media. But there are also lots of negatives. Let’s start with the spammers and scammers. They’re real. Never click on a link you have ANY doubts about at all, and make sure you enable double-factor authentication on your accounts. When you have a public page, you become…
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Using social media as an author: the GOOD
Social media is a mixed blessing, to say the least. Today, I wanted to focus on what I enjoy about using social media as an author, because there are benefits, and there are ways to use it that are quite helpful and inspiring. First, I should say I am most active on Facebook. I have…
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What reading nonfiction can teach a novelist
I read quite a bit of nonfiction, mostly theology, spiritual autobiographies, and Catholic/Christian apologetics. Obviously, if you want to write fiction, you need to read quite a bit of fiction. But more than that, you simply need to read. Reading a breadth of things can really help you grow as a creative writer. Here are…
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Character motivations in fiction
Today, let’s talk character development. One of the most critical aspects of creating a deep, memorable, and relatable character is understanding what motivates him or her. We are all motivated by different things to some degree, and sometimes to a great degree. Here are a few things to keep in mind or to ask yourself…
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You never know what legacy you’ll leave (the example of Cervantes)
If you follow my blog regularly, you may already know that Cervantes inspired me to enter a doctoral program in Early Modern Spanish Lit. One of the things I find so fascinating about Cervantes is the situation he lived in, along with the fact that he always considered himself a failure. You see, Cervantes died…
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Creative Writing with the Crimson League 