Chuck Wendig: Freelance Penmonkey

Archive for August, 2010

Three Most Important Words In Plotting Fiction: Escalation, Escalation, Escalation
August 31st, 2010 | The Ramble | terribleminds | 8 Comments
In fiction, escalation is everything. Understanding escalation gives you a powerful tool in composing a strong plot and driving story: it’s the thing that brings people back to the book, it’s the thing that glues them to the screen, that stops them from changing channels, that keeps them playing the game well past the point of “reasonable time management.”
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Giving Good Criticism
August 30th, 2010 | The Ramble | terribleminds | 20 Comments
Last week, I said, “You writer types out there should really learn how to take and use good criticism.” Thing is, what we haven’t yet answered is: “Just what the hell is good criticism, anyway?” Answer? I don’t really know. But it’s an important question. A writer doesn’t want you to waste her time, and further, she doesn’t want you to waste your own time, either: hence, any kind of critique has to be useful above all else.
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Recipe: “Mood Stabilizers”
August 29th, 2010 | The Ramble | terribleminds | 4 Comments
And I thought, you know what I enjoy at restaurants? Lettuce wraps. Give me a leaf from a head of green leaf lettuce, put some delicious crap in there, and I will eat it like some kind of madman taco — the crunch, the crispness, that slightly bitter tang of the lettuce. Yeah. Yes. I wanted that.
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Baby Want New Apps
August 28th, 2010 | The Ramble | terribleminds | 10 Comments
It’s been a while since I did a fresh look for new iPhone apps. But, downloading the Netflix app yesterday (which by the way works like a mofuggin’ charm) reminded me that holy crap, apps are awesome. So, seems a good time to ask: What apps you using and loving these days? What apps are in regular rotation? What can you just plain not live without?
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Young Adult Fiction: Essential Reading?
August 27th, 2010 | The Ramble | terribleminds | 35 Comments
What books would you put on an essentials Young Adult fiction reading list? Y’know. For me. And to be clear, by “essentials” I don’t mean “What The Masses Would List,” I mean, what do you personally think is stellar enough to end up on that list? What did you love? What’s your personal list of faves?
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