PROLOGUE FOR A SHANKS NOVEL in case I ever write one by Rob Lopresti

Several of us have over the last three years described how we’ve come up with or developed some of our stories. But as I have so often observed, no two writers work in exactly the same way—the “creative process” (how I loathe that phrase! but clichés do have the advantage of being unambiguous, so I’m […]

OPENING MONOLOGUE by James Lincoln Warren Among any self-identified group, there are topics that may seem trivial to the uninitiated but will generate passionate debate among the cognoscenti. Among writers, one such topic relates to the use of prologues in story telling. Another such topic is “rules for writing” (a new collection of which the […]

FACT, FICTION, FAKERY I by Leigh Lundin The world needs another literary scandal. Last Train to Hiroshima Charles Pellegrino Questions arose last week confronting the most recent book by Charles Pellegrino, the noted author who combines science and archaeology. The purported account of WW-II veteran Joseph Fuoco the day before he died has been challenged […]

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE by John M. Floyd Some of you might recall that my title for this column was also a TV series years ago, adapted from James Michener’s fiction. (I still hum the theme music now and then, when I’m in a tropical mood.) My topic today, though, isn’t sailing the South Pacific; it’s […]

WHAT’S DRIVING MISS DAISY? by Steven Steinbock There are days – most days in fact – when I have a hard time getting motivated with my writing. I may be running low on fuel, or in need of a tune up. Some of my pistons may not be firing. Sometimes I forget to set my […]

ENJOYING THE JOURNEY by Deborah Elliott-Upton What writer doesn’t want a Stephen King-like success? I admire him for his talent and his prolific ability, but also for the fact he hasn’t abandoned the short story. I’ve always been a ravenous short story reader and so my first attempt at writing was naturally with a short […]