Category: Thoughts on Writing
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The Awesomeness Score: A Rubric for Measuring a Story’s Power
A new rubric for how to score the awesomeness of a short story. What criteria to use, etc. By author Robert Nagle
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Author Jack Matthews on the storytelling craft (Video)
You might already know that my Personville Press publishes various fiction titles by Jack Matthews (1925-2013). A year before he died, I went to Ohio and interviewed him about various things. I shot some video footage as well as audio footage about his books and life as an author. Here’s one audio slideshow I put…
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A lesson in humility
I write online fiction I’m very proud of. (It’s under a pseudonym; sorry). Occasionally I will revisit old stories and reread them; sometimes to remember the beauty of a sentence or a sentiment – sometimes just to relive the story itself. A guilty pleasure, perhaps, but I confess that I enjoy being taken into a…
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A good rough draft
Yesterday I finished a good rough draft of a longish story. What a glorious feeling! I still have a lot of work remaining, but at least after the end of the rough draft, I know what kind of monster I’m dealing with. Before I write something, I know a story’s general direction and choreography, but…
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Embarrassments of Obscurity (Part 23)
I usually never let it get under my skin when I hear that some young hotshot has published a book or some celebrity has gotten invited onto a talk show to tout a book. I don’t let it get to me because I convince myself that people like Bret Easton Ellis peak early and never…