General Writing

It is no longer possible to post on Faolan's Pen as an unregistered user. There have been approximately ten times as many spam comments as actual comments posted here, and this is the simplest way to reduce the number. If you wish to post comments, please feel free to create an account. ... Read more »

One of the best ways to draw readers into a book and draw the 'aww' factor is to include a romance.   For those intending to include more risque elements, it is far more organic to include sex scenes in the course of a romance than to find other ways to insert one.  (There are other ways to include one, and perhaps one day I'll write a piece on sex scenes and their uses.  Today's article is about romance though) The trick to this, of course, is to make it believable.  I recently watched the ... Read more »

So, motivation. Why is your character taking the MacGuffin to the MacGuffin Disposal system?  Why is his plucky sidekick along for the ride?   What is the love interest pursuing that puts her (or him, if the protagonist is, say, a female auto mechanic) on the same path as our intrepid hero? The answer to these questions is what motivates each character, drives them into the story and keeps them going when the chips are down.  Some characters motivations are weak, and if you know, you can ... Read more »

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of weeks, I've been quite sick and busy. Should be back posting this weekend. ... Read more »

Research is an essential part of writing.   You may be writing fantasy set in the land of never never was, but unless you're explicitly turning off the laws of physics and not drawing on any of humanity's stunningly rich mythological background, you risk flubbing something dramatically that will break reader's suspension of disbelief - and not realizing it. I could cover this page with text on the importance of research, but that's not overly useful to anyone.  So today is a quick blurb on ... Read more »

I don't get asked very often where my ideas come from - but that's probably mostly because I don't talk much about my writing. It is one of those stereotypical questions, however, and lacking in other ideas this week I will speak to it a little bit. I am an informationophile - I love to learn.  I absorb information, sights, sounds, stories and thoughts like a sponge, and it all percolates around my brain until it spits out something new shiny and (hopefully) unique.  Small things, big ... Read more »