Category Archives: writing craft

Active Settings

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I had a note to myself that I should blog about “active settings.” I didn’t remember exactly why I’d written that phrase down, but ideas began to spill into my mind, as if the phrase was a cue. Thinking of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, sf/f, steampunk, writing craft | Comments Off on Active Settings

Fun With Rhetoric

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

As I mentioned a while ago, I’ve been slowly working my way through a book on rhetoric by James Phelan, Experiencing Fiction: Judgments, Progression, and the Rhetorical Theory of Narrative. I’m taking great joy in reading this book and letting … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, writing craft | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Coffee, Tea, and Worldbuilding

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

One component of worldbuilding that’s often forgotten is background economics. Take coffee, for example. Coffee originated in Africa. It wasn’t readily available in Europe until after 1616, and didn’t start to be cultivated on a large scale by Europeans until … Continue reading →

Posted in sf/f, writing craft | 2 Comments

Back to Basics

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve got a guest post today at Culinary Carnivale–I recommend some Young Adult classics and newer books I think are destined to become classics. # I’m fairly busy this month with my other main creative outlet, choir, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in writing, writing craft, writing process, ya | 1 Comment

What Characters Look Like

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

This is another post based on a question from Tumperkin, who is really good at making me think. The gentleman whose picture is illustrating this post is actor Vincent Perez. Many writers have said they use pictures of people to … Continue reading →

Posted in writing, writing craft | Comments Off on What Characters Look Like

Swearing in The Duke and The Pirate Queen

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

This post was inspired by an essay on swearing in romance novels over at Alpha Heroes. I thought a lot about the way my characters in The Duke & the Pirate Queen would swear. The book is set in a … Continue reading →

Posted in the duke, writing, writing craft | 2 Comments

The Birth of Characters

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

Tumperkin asked if I would blog about characterization. Having recently been inspired with a new project, I decided to set down my thoughts while I was still in the thick of creation. The way I form characters changes from project … Continue reading →

Posted in writing craft, writing process | Tagged | 3 Comments

Shades of Critique

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I recently read a novel manuscript for an experienced novelist; this novelist has turned the manuscript in to the editor, but it’s not yet in its final version. That made me think about critiquing, and all the different shades of … Continue reading →

Posted in writing, writing craft | Comments Off on Shades of Critique

Writing About Writing When You’re Writing

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I hadn’t been writing for a while when I started up again a week or so ago. There are a lot of reasons, among them needing a break, coming up with my next big project (still working on that!), and … Continue reading →

Posted in writing craft, writing process | 4 Comments

“Mama Tried” and Story Structure

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

One of my favorite songs as a kid was Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried, which was released in 1968. Recently, I listened to it again. And again. And realized how the complex structure of the song helped to tell a story … Continue reading →

Posted in music, writing, writing craft | Comments Off on “Mama Tried” and Story Structure