One Fish, Two Fish… Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Theodor Geisel would be 116 years old. This master of the creative word left us a treasury of stories for both young and old. From learning one’s ABC’s to recognizing that a person’s a person no matter how small to the possibility that a grinch’s heart can grow three sizes in one day.
This week is Banned Book Week. The American Library Association (ALA) keeps a record of books that have been banned, burned, or otherwise discriminated against. Most of the time, it seems these books challenge the current culture, have strong religious undertones, or are explicit sexually, violently, or in language, especially racially.
In the Shadow of Denali by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse is an historical, inspirational novel set in Alaska during the early 1900s. It follows Allan Brennan on his quest to find the truth about what happened to his father on Denali. Believing the expert guide, John Ivanoff, to be at fault for his father’s death, Allen takes a job in Curry, Alaska where he meets Ivanoff and the man’s beautiful daughter Cassidy.
The Cottage, a novel by Michael Phillips, is the second book in his Secrets of the Shetlands series. The story follows Allonnah “Loni” Ford in her discovery of her past, her identity, and her future.
Two weeks ago, we began a discussion on story lengths. This came from a question I have been asked of late: what types of story types are there?
This is a more complex answer than it may appear. On the surface, we have two types of stories: the novel and the short story. We began with short story lengths. Last week, we explored novellas. And today, we will talk about the novel. That will lead into a discussion about National Novel Writing Month.
Last week, we began a discussion on story lengths. This came from a question I have been asked of late: what types of story are there?
This is a more complex answer than it may appear.On the surface, we have two types of stories: the novel and the short story. Last week, we began with short story lengths. Today, we will explore story lengths that land between novel and short story. Next week, we will talk about the novel. That will lead into a discussion about National Novel Writing Month.
So you want to write. Where do you start? Here are two tips to get you going.
The past few weeks, I’ve been doing research on genres. Specifically the difference between mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. All of these are often found under the greater umbrella of crime fiction, but lately, mysteries have come to stand on their own. Thrillers can also be tied to horror and suspense is often left in the dark. So, what is the best way to define these genres?