by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Oct 16, 2015 | On Craft
5 1/2 years. That’s roughly how long I’ve been working on this novel. 6 years. That’s how long I’ve been trying to figure out writing and me and life. 2,138 days of recovering from PTSD, spilling my heart onto the paper, growing as a writer, editor and person, and...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | May 10, 2012 | On Craft, The Writing Life
This structure thing is kicking my trash! I’ve read several books and articles on the subject, but Save the Cat! came the closest to helping me wrap my head around it. Well, I should say Save the Cat! in conjunction with several blog posts from Lydia Sharp (who...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 25, 2011 | On Craft, The Writing Life
In his book Stein on Writing, Sol Stein points out that “Readers enjoy dialogue in stories and novels. Those same readers would hate reading court transcripts, even of dramatic confrontations. What makes dialogue interesting and so much actual talk...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Apr 21, 2011 | On Craft, The Writing Life
I’ve been helping a friend with revisions recently and found myself getting bogged down in the little stuff—punctuation, word placement, em dashes (crazy pet peeve of mine)! This is fine when it comes time for line edits, but when you’re looking at the grand scheme of...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jan 31, 2011 | On Craft, The Writing Life
Donatello: The perimeter’s quiet. Leonardo: Yeah, a little too quiet. [Donatello knocks out two Foot soldiers] Donatello: Well, that was easy! Leonardo: Yeah, a little too easy. Donatello: Look! It’s Raph! Michelangelo: Yeah, a little too Raph. If you...
