If Walls Could Talk: Nose to the Grindstone – Pushing Yourself through Deadlines
M.H. Norris Deadlines are a part of writing. When I wrote Badge City: Notches, I had a deadline of about twelve weeks to do all the research, write a couple drafts, and turn it in (on finals week no less -
If Walls Could Talk: Writing Books & Dead West
As I kick off my column this week, I’d like to congratulate fellow 18thWall author, J Patrick Allen on the release of his newest book, Dead West: Hallows of Decay. We chatted with him for this week’s The Raconteur Roundtable and
If Walls Could Talk: The Number One Reason Writers Get Rejected
What is the number one reason a writer's short story gets rejected? Is it from bad grammar, poorly researched facts, or shaky story structure? These might be the reasons you would think but they aren't the top one I've run across
If Walls Could Talk: This Day In History -The Story Behind The Miranda Rights
I remember when I first heard the story behind the Miranda rights. I was reading Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide For Writers by Lee Lofland (which, if you’re writing anything that involves police and procedure I highly recommend this
If Walls Could Talk: Considering Romance in Your Fiction
M.H. Norris With most networks coming to their season finales, my mind naturally switches to television. It’s no secret that I love television and hope to write for it. It's worthy of study. On a The Flash, Barry and Iris got married
If Walls Could Talk: Eating My Own Words
M.H. Norris We were recording the podcast when our guest, David Annandale, talked about the value of an outline. He countered one of my primary objections, that an outline limits you and is constricting. He even went as far as to
If Walls Could Talk: Take a Breath
M.H. Norris Over the last few months, I’ve been pushing myself harder than I probably should. And I know I shouldn’t, but I do find myself doing it every so often. One time I did it resulted in what I now
If Walls Could Talk: Novel Pre-Production
M.H. Norris Usually when you use the term pre-production, you are referring to a film project. Pre-Production is that magical time before a show/movie starts filming where you develop the show/movie. For the sake of the post, I’ll refer to a
If Walls Could Talk: The Problem with First Drafts
It takes me several drafts to even be remotely happy with what I write. I write a draft, and it takes me forever to do it. Why? Because the entire time I write the first draft, I think it’s utter garbage. James
If Walls Could Talk: Firing the Smoking Gun
I’ll be honest with y’all, I have not had the most productive start. I’ve done some research, but as for putting actual words on the paper I’ve had a rather lackluster start to the year. Monday was probably one of my