Tag Archives: genre fiction

Becoming Superman

“Style was the clothes; voice was the body. The instant I hit that realization I felt a circuit close inside me, switching on an engine in my brain. Suddenly all the little unrelated things I knew about writing (or brashly … Continue reading

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What makes a good book?

“What do you think makes for a ‘good’ book?… Is it too subjective to define or are there specific and universal elements that make up a ‘good’ book? How can you pull the reader in rather than push them away?” … Continue reading

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Writers’ advice on self-publishing

There is a lot of advice about writing and self-publishing. A recent tread from the kboards Writers’ Cafe, Time to Hang It Up, tackled the problem of a writer with academic credentials and several years of self-publishing experience, who, despite … Continue reading

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Fictional choices

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” From conversation between Dumbledore and Harry, at the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling I recalled … Continue reading

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Maps of Physics and Fiction

My two favorite subjects presented through maps: Bernard H. Porter’s 1939 map depicting Physics as a continent, with rivers corresponding to its principal branches. From dabacon.org. Fiction Island and a rough layout of the genres, from Jasper Fforde, 2011:

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Self-publishing a mainstream novel – Q&A with Catherine Ryan Howard

Catherine, in her own words, is “a writer, self-publisher and caffeine enthusiast from Cork, Ireland.” I first saw Catherine’s blog, ‘Catherine, Caffeinated‘, in the summer, when I was starting to explore the option of self publishing. To promote her new … Continue reading

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