HOW IT WORKS by Rob Lopresti Listen up, because this is how it works. When you are engaged in creative activity two parts of your brains are involved. Some people call it the unconscious and the conscious minds. Some call it the left and right brains. Some say the muse and I, but I don’t […]

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT’S WHO GOOGLE KNOWS by Rob Lopresti This is not an original idea, but I haven’t seen it applied to our field before. As everyone is aware, if someone wants to learn something about you today, they will look you up on the web, and they will probably use Google. […]

GET A CLUE by Rob Lopresti I have a great idea for a story. In fact, I’ve had it for years. I love the characters. I know about the big final confrontation between good guy and bad guy. I have the clever twist at the end ready to go. I’m all set. But I’ll probably […]

WOULD YOU RATHER BE FRAMED OR FLASHED? by Rob Lopresti Those who read my column last week (both of you) may have noticed that, unlike several of my neighbors here at Criminal Brief City, I didn’t write about how to begin a story. Two reasons for that: I write these things slowly, and I turn […]

ON GETTING LUCKY by Rob Lopresti When I was young and someone (usually me) had a bit of undeserved good fortune my father would always mutter “Lucky the boy scout.” Dad is no longer around to make this observation but I recently found myself filling in for him. And then it occurred to me that […]

I’LL ASK THE QUESTIONS by Rob Lopresti Instead of my usual dispensing of wisdom, I decided this week to ask you fine folks to enlighten me. Perhaps you would be so kind as to answer one or more of these questions in the comments space. Follow that trailer A friend of mine has a novel […]

YOUR STORY’S ONE TRUE NAME by Rob Lopresti Titles are important. I don’t feel like I really know a story until I know its title. Sometimes I get most of the way through the first draft before the name appears, but it seldom changes once I find it. (Silly but true: one reason for that […]