by paulneuhaus | Sep 27, 2018 | writing
Don’t just dive into your writing projects. It doesn’t work. How do I know? Because it’s my default approach to writing, and I have boxes (and hard drives) full of unfinished stories. But allow me to clarify: By “diving in” I mean writing before your premise has...
by paulneuhaus | Sep 25, 2018 | writing
I have a tendency to write lean — as in close-to-the-bone. Take me as a cautionary tale. In other words, writers, don’t be stingy with the detail. In my college days, I was compared to Hemingway from time to time, not because I was as good as him, but because I...
by paulneuhaus | Sep 15, 2018 | writing
In the writing process, it takes two ideas–rubbing against one another–to make a satisfying premise. In this post, I’m going to give a real-world example. I don’t know George R. R. Martin, and I would not presume to speak for him. I am, however,...
by paulneuhaus | Sep 12, 2018 | writing
One idea isn’t enough. In the writing and ideation process, it takes two ideas rubbing against one another. If you’re doing fiction, you need two or more concepts in order to have a viable premise. But they can’t be just any old concepts. Preferably, they should be...
by paulneuhaus | Sep 9, 2018 | writing
Too much is made in writing how-to literature of the main character’s Want, the motivator which propels him through his story. In describing this force in terms of a desire, would-be writing gurus are doing their readers a disservice. Want isn’t as important in...
