Storytellersunplugged

Lord Byron wrote: But I hate things all fiction...there should always be some foundation of fact for the most airy fabric - and pure invention is but the talent of a liar. Most persons would agree that adding facts to a fictional novel, especially one that includes technical matters, can improve it on several levels. Obviously, facts can make stories more realistic. To readers who enjoy learning things, facts are manna. Readers who especially cherish them are those who can directly relate to ... Read More

When my maternal grandmother was alive and living in a nursing home, I visited her just about every weekend. Although I couldn’t stand the smell of the place, (Lysol and urine) I truly enjoyed going there. Not only because I’d get to see my grandma (whom I adored), of course, but because of some of the other characters who lived in the home with her. There’s one woman in particular I still think about today. I’ll call her Nola for the sake ... Read More

Bev Vincent  Get the podcast - or Subscrbe in iTunes When I was a kid, the National Film Board of Canada ran short documentary vignettes between TV shows. One that I remember vividly was about Christopher Columbus’s expedition to the New World. The film was stop-motion with ships rocking up and down on conspicuously fake waves. The line that stands out in my mind explained how long the journey lasted and how some people were getting impatient. “The days passed. The nights passed. ... Read More

Stop me before I kill again. I’m going to do it, yes, I am, I’m really going to do it. Going to write about another obscure topic so ephemeral that I don’t know if I can pull it off. You may have noticed that I shy away from the easy stuff – practical stuff with practical answers. Not that those things aren’t invaluable – they are – but all the sane and successful writers in this blog do an admirable ... Read More

Face it. The first five pages (sometimes the first five sentences) are going to make or break your book. They will be the first pages that a prospective agent or editor will read. Later, once the book gets picked up, they will be the first pages that a prospective book buyer will read. So how do you make those five pages, and the rest of the beginning of the book, so good that the editor, agent, or prospective reader wants ... Read More

Recently a writer on one of my loops asked when he should kill a story or novel. His novel, after all, had been relentlessly rejected, often by agents with varying criticisms. The verdict was in and it was unanimous: the thing was a turkey that could not be sold. Shouldn’t it therefore be put to rest? His question struck a nerve with me. Similar to many writers, I’ve written some real stinkers, wretched, amateurish deformities that beg to be ... Read More

February 13, 2008 Mary Shelley frowns as Al, the Gonquin’s owner, with a dramatic conspiratorial wink, places a blood-red rose in front of her and says, “From a secret admirer.” Eyebrows around the main table rise as if pulled by a puppet string. Bram says, “From Dr. Frankenstein, no doubt.” Mary blushes, “Given the color--and the proximately to St. Valentine’s day--it more likely comes from your Count Dracula.” Papa, hands layered over his heart, says, “To quote the bard, ‘As soon go kindle fire with ... Read More

I’ve been writing these essays for a while now and from time to time I worry that I’m repeating myself. Then I remember, yes, I probably AM repeating myself, because, damn it, some things bear repeating. One of those things is another variation on an old adage from my very first ever essay here: You get more flies with honey than with vinegar. Another of my mother’s favorite sayings. Yes, I still quote my mother. She was wiser than the majority of the ... Read More

I had a recent discussion with someone about the importance of critical thinking. We agreed that students need to learn how to assess reported events; I argued that people should be taught logic, while they argued that students should be taught statistics. I disagreed strongly, but only after consideration did I hit upon why. The argument for statistic teaching was to demonstrate that the truth is mutable, that statistics can be used to prove anything. I've heard that assertion before, usually from people ... Read More

If you’re serious about writing modern, cutting-edge horror, you’re going to have to learn to like hurting people’s feelings. This was never a problem for me, as I’ve always possessed a gift for it. But as I’ve worked to build a façade of convincing maturity, I’ve tried to find new ways to articulate the passionate reaction real-world horror inspires in me. I’ve tried to be less exploitative of real pain and distress, because despite what many may misapprehend about our genre, the end ... Read More