Writing

Preventing Phantom Protagonist Syndrome

Have you ever had a really great idea for a story that somehow seemed to die…
6 More Six-Word Stories

If you’ve been following Penstricken since it started in 2015, you may recall that on one…
Why I Quit Camp NaNoWriMo

My novel was going nowhere (although he’s feeling much better now, thanks) and I noticed someone…
A Few Thoughts on Star Trek Beyond

My main problem with Beyond was the pacing of the plot. It was fast and exciting…
Like It or Lump It, Your Intended Audience Matters

Every now and again I hear authors, publishers and other would-be writing gurus all saying the…
How to Kill Someone (in Fiction) and Get Away With It

The death of a main character can easily be one of the main turning points in…
Adversity: A Leaf Out Of Peter Newman’s Book

Make sure your fictional world does not revolve around your protagonist. Take a leaf out of…
Suspense: A Deliberately Awful Story

Today’s short story came about as a result of a random creatively prompt provided to me…
The Overwhelming Art of World-Building

Research is, undeniably, one of the most important stages of writing a story. Understanding the time…
Writing with a Wandering Mind

I decided, therefore, to stop complaining about how much more painstaking it would be and start…